


Need 4 Speed

by lovima



Category: Sonic X
Genre: Anal Sex, Crack Treated Seriously, Eventual Smut, Interspecies Sex, Kissing, M/M, Size Difference, Sonic X logic, Stalking, Touch-Starved, attempted vehicular manslaughter, but not really he doesn't swear, car stuff, hand holding, human/hedgehog relations, i am not afraid, idk why robotnik is in this so much, ok i lied this isnt really crack, sonic says fuck the police, two bros competing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:28:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23613031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovima/pseuds/lovima
Summary: Sonic and Sam become fast friends after their speedy introduction on the highway.
Relationships: Sonic the Hedgehog/Sam Speed
Comments: 9
Kudos: 23





	1. Two winners - one race

**Author's Note:**

> Sam gives Sonic his number.

It was high noon at Station Square with the crowd going wild after bearing witness to what Sam Speed called 'The World's Fastest Race.' Which was not a lot to say for it, but it definitely was something to define the current interesting times he had the privilege to live in.

He tried not to think about how literally no one in the crowd, at any point, had cheered for him. Almost all fans being there for Sonic, or for racing in general. He wasn't sure himself, but chose to believe the latter.

And what a race it was! Never in his life had he witnessed the possibility of achieving a sonic boom by a vehicle, never mind a blue alien hedgehog his nephew dragged in.

For the first time in his life, Sam felt like he had met his match. Leaning against the hood of the rocket engine, he stole a glance over the heads of the camera-brandishing media reporters to spy out a gaggle consisting of Chris and residents of the Thorndyke mansion.

There he was, Sonic – no worse for wear, clutching a bouquet of roses and pointy-ears-deep in admiration.

Interesting times indeed.

He mentally patted himself on the back for guilting the vice president for allowing him to waste such a ludicrous amount of engineering resources.

A billion dollars well spent.

He had to admit, Sonic had won fair and square. Even with his best efforts and the 'support' from his team, he had lost by a long-shot.  
The speedster even had the time to clown about in front of the camera before beating him to it.

He wished he had his helmet on because damn, his staring had been noticed. As much as we wanted to, he couldn't just leave and let the little guy think he was a sore loser. Sam saw himself as a specimen of an opponent, and the possibility of racing the hedgehog again was too big to waste on petty hangups.

And it's not like he didn't have a reputation to uphold, that came with the badge.

Well, no point hiding now. Sam opted for the cool-guy-push-off-the-wall approach and waded through the crowd towards Chris, waving him over. 'That was so cool, Uncle Sam! Sorry you lost.' Said Chris, always the little diplomat.

'Hey, no harm done.' Sam replied, 'I got a good race out of it.'  
'Hey Sam!' Sonic greeted as the camera flashed intensified 'Cool race! We should do it again sometime!'

Well, that was easy. Sam had to start thinking strategy, which, as far as he knew, had little to do with speed.

Sam laughed, rubbing the back of his head 'Gee, that would be super Sonic!'

The hedgehog smiled, looking complacent as ever 'Oh, so you think you can beat me already?' He said rubbing the underside of his nose, which Sam was sure was some sort of insult in his space-hedgehog culture 'Didn't you just lose?'

He had to snort at that, only an ignorant fool would underestimate the likes of Sam Speed! 'Already done and dusted!' He answered. 'I would say I will have to call the Thorndykes but...' He scrambled around the pockets of his uniform, pulling out a business card '...its best if you could call me yourself.'  
-  
Sonic stared at the card for a second before taking it into his hands and inspecting it, he will have to ask Chris on how to use it later.  
He felt mildly honored receiving the scrap of paper, even though he stood no chance Sam appeared to be eager as ever to prove his status as the fastest being on Earth. There was something mildly sad and endearing about that.

'Thanks, Sam!' He slid the card into his glove. 'It will be fun.'  
The racer gave him a crooked smile extending a hand for a handshake 'I'm looking forward to it.'

The human's grip was solid, reminding Sonic that this was the first physical contact between them since they've met. He wasn't too sure where to look over the chaos around them, so he chose to focus on Sam instead. The man's competitive demeanor was something he could get behind.

There was a particular merit to being able to ferry that many people to force out a race to settle such a frivolous score. And Robotnic.tm kissing-robot and early-morning encounters aside, it had not been half bad.

He was not joshing, he had a great time, but the race had not been his style. He wouldn't mind racing again, but damn, he was looking forward to a less politically-centered endeavor.

Judging by Sam's interest in racing again in a quieter setting proved his thoughts to be mutual, perhaps both of them would benefit from staying away from the vice-president and his campaign launching schemes in the future.

He let go of Sam's hand, the man's smile unfaltering against the onslaught of camera lights. 'Well, its time for me to shoot off.' He said, turning back to the rocket engine. 'I need to clean out the rest of my lunch from the glove compartment.' His hand came up to ruffle Sonic's hair, his touch warm and welcome against his ears.

He felt a mild pang of disappointment when it was over.

He tried not to think about it.

Living up to his name, the man instantly moved past him, saying his goodbyes to Amy and the Thorndykes he set off on his way.  
'No cheating next time!' Sonic called after him eager for the last word.

  
Sam raised his hand in the air, turning around 'You got it!' He said, winking.

  
Sonic watched him drive the rocket car out of the square until the roar of the engine died away.


	2. Think Fast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic Stalks Sam

Sonic had been following Sam all morning, watching him go about his business. Not that he took the time to intentionally seek the racer out, not at all.

He had simply been out on his morning run when his journey took him to the busy streets of Station Square.  
He spotted the racer's car turning a busy corner a few minutes in, it's color and unique shape unmistakable between the mundane backdrop of the city.

Most probably heading to the city's outer ring, which in turn meant Sam would not have time to race...

No bother! He could always tail along, maybe for the sake of sussing out his opponent's weak points.

It's not like he needed to talk to Sam straight away, the man probably wouldn't even remember the race by tomorrow.  
Shaking himself of his dwelling thoughts, he gave chase zipping past startled pedestrians.

Of course, Sam would want to race!

He touched the inside of his glove, remembering yesterday's exchange. Sonic was not much of a long-distance communicator, preferring face to face interaction more than anything. Just like he was planning to do with Sam.

Once the right time came, right now, he opted to just observe.  
Right now, he was peeking around a trashcan, watching Sam write up a speeding ticket. With his first impression of the petulant man, he had completely forgotten that this human was in charge of upholding peace.

Sam seemed to be doing a decent job, his usual intensity redirected at dealing justice to whoever dared to break the rules of the highway code.

This bode well for the city, as it also happened to have an overabundance of individuals set on breaking the speed limit. Sonic had counted one road race, and two general speedsters, one of whom asked for an autograph.

'Sir, do you know how fast you were going?' Sam asked the disgruntled looking man in the pickup truck. His hands impressively dexterous in the thick gloves as he scribbled furiously into a little notepad.

Sonic did not care to listen to the rest of the exchange, opting instead to come up with some conversation starters once Sam was no longer busy.

That's how he spent the rest of the morning and the afternoon. Soon he was trailing Sam back to the city to what he assumed was the S Team headquarters.

Spying a propped up-window, his curiosity peaked, so he slipped in.  
The inside was empty and dark, the air carried a smell of gasoline and soap. Sonic didn't have much time to explore before he heard the roar of the F1 engine rattling the shelves lining the walls. He needed to hide. Kicking in his super-speed, he scrambled to find a hiding spot before settling on a relatively empty locker, right opposite the window he entered through.

This would have to do.

Just as he closed the locker door, the lights came on, illuminating the space with a buzzing white light. The far back wall of the garage swung upwards completely. Sam's car rolled in first, followed by other members of the S team.

He guessed this was pretty cool; if he stayed here, maybe he could figure out how Sam was planning to defeat him in the next race.  
Sonic was momentarily distracted by Sam removing his helmet, his hair was mussed, and cheeks flushed from the time spent in the race suit.

The hedgehog was reminded that driving was nowhere near close to how free running felt, maybe he could ask Sam into removing the roof of his car in the future. Or he could take off his helmet more often.

It felt strange watching Sam live out his Sam-life, like some sort of wildlife documentary Chris had to wait as homework once. The sea otters would hold hands to stop each other from floating away while they slept.

The documentary outlined how the camera crew had to seclude themselves, waiting for hours to get to see the otters behaving naturally, blissfully ignorant of their presence.

Just like Sam was blissfully unaware of him now.

He observed Sam debrief his team members and set up rotas, which seemed like a tedious job. He was on good terms with his crew, but his professional manner was more stoic than his usual goofy vibe. Sonic watched intently as he clasped a team member on the back, congratulating on a job well done.

The hedgehog felt an odd pang of jealousy at watching the two converse, not quite close enough to hear what they were saying, but it sounded fun. Would Sam ever get that close to him?  
Probably not, the man was set on racing, and Sonic barely got to see his face.

He realized that at this point him jumping out of the locker would probably be mistaken as an attempt at espionage. And he did not want the government and the S team on his back again so soon.  
His only way out would be to climb out through the window, but there were too many prying eyes at the moment to make that venture remotely successful. The best plan would be to make his move once the workshop was empty.

He was in luck as the team slowly filtered out on separate assignments, soon it was just him and Sam left.  
Cracking open the locker, he spied the racer with his head deep beneath one of the vehicles humming tunelessly.

This was it.

Carefully as he could, he let the locker door swing open, then holding his breath sneaked his way up the racking. He was almost there.

Reaching the rafters, he made his way towards the window giving the handle a careful pull.  
To his horror, it did not open.

Looking back to make sure Sam hadn't moved, he tried again, this time tugging harder, only to fail. Someone must have locked earlier today.  
This was when the locker door decided to slam shut, the sound breaking the silence.

The human jumped out of his skin, visibly startled. There was a distinct empty thump of an idiot smacking his head on a skid block, 'Ouch!' His legs scrambled as he wheeled out and off the creeper.  
Sonic breathed a sigh of relief; he had not been spotted. That was as long as Sam didn't look up.

Sonic was now stuck up in the rafters. His only saving grace at the moment would be to reveal himself, or to wait until someone opened the door and speed his way out of there.

'Is anyone there?' Sam's voice had an edge of anger to it. 'This is a restricted space, you know? You could get into real trouble if you get caught!' He stopped right outside the locker Sonic had previously been hiding in. The hedgehog held his breath.

Sonic wondered if he jumped down right now; he could play this whole situation off as a prank. He imagined the look on Sam's face stifling a chuckle at the image of the man sprawled out on the floo-

Before he could dwell on it any further, a buzzer went off, with a little light blinking above the front door. Both jumped, looking over at the door as the insistent buzzer echoed through the tall walls of the vacant workshop once more.

Sam recovered quickly, 'Probably someone's just forgotten something.' He said to himself, heading over to punch in the code at the pin pad.

The pin pad! This might be Sonic's last moment to escape without exposing his presence. He crouched, ready to tail it out of there right past Sam and the hulking mustached mass of a man in the doorway.

Wait.

Sonic narrowed his eyes, what was he doing here?

'Hello there, stranger!' Sam greeted, ever so sweet. His short attention span cooperating with the new development, making him seemingly forget the intruder seconds before.

'Well, hello there officer!' Said no other than Doctor Robotnik sporting a grotesquely ginormous coat and matching hat. This couldn't be good.

'I am from the technical science division over at the...' He adjusted his upturned collar, most probably to read the lines written there. The bastard. 'Science technology building of car engineering! Here to deliver top-secret covert technology to no other than Sam Speed, captain of the S team.'

Sam gasped visibly starstruck. 'That's me!' He moved to let Robotnik inside. 'What is it?'

The villain made a polite, declining gesture. 'I am afraid this has to be quick, as much as I would like to stay and bask in the brilliance of your heroism, I must rush off... to do more uh... covert stuff!'  
The racer nodded solemnly in agreement, 'I understand, it is a common bane of up keeping the law.'

'Ah, I knew you would understand! I have a whole family of robo- I mean kids to get back to. You know how it is.'  
Sam leaned in closer, narrowing his eyes, Robotnik visibly shrinking back 'Hmmm...You look a whole lot like that Robotnik guy.'

'Yes! I uh...' The evil genius stuttered 'I get that a lot?'

There was a beat of silence before Sam's obnoxious laugh filled the garage. 'Ha! Wow, you sure are unlucky with that buddy! Thankfully you got that government uniform on, so you won't be arrested in the street.'  
He clasped Robotnik on the arm. 'But don't worry about it. I notice similarities fast and differences come even faster!'

Sonic slapped his palm against his face.

Even the great Eggman seemed momentarily shocked into silence before his face broke into a grin, barely hiding his malicious intent. 'My how...astute of you.' He said, gritting 'astute' out like he was removing a particularly jagged piece Eggman Fortress shrapnel from his ass.

Sam didn't seem to notice,' Thanks! You're making a guy blush over here.'

Victory now in his grasp Robotnik went in for the kill. 'Come on now, I am just stating facts.' He held out the vial waving it in Sam's face. 'And if you are to catch up with that roden- I mean hedgehog, you will need all the best advancements we can provide.'

Sam was caught, hook, line and sinker. 'Well, I am honored!' He beamed, taking the vial. 'So do I just stick this in the fuel tank or...' He turned his back to Robotnik, who was at this point vibrating with glee. Sonic glimpsed the opening, not a second too soon.

This was it. He pushed himself off the rafter, once his feet had touched the floor, he was off.

In an instant, he collided with Eggman, the momentum pushing both of them backward, door slamming behind them they rolled out into the silent night.

Sonic didn't waste any time getting to the point 'Alright Robotnik, what are you up to and what was in that vial?' he demanded, standing over the winded villain.

Robotnik wheezed out a mildly villainous cackle. 'You will find out soon enough.' He grumbled, picking himself off the ground.' This plan has already been too much trouble, I should have just made Bokkun cut the brakes.'  
'Ha! You think Sam is stupid enough to fall for your plan?' The moment Sonic spoke, he realized his misjudgment. There was an ear-splitting bang that followed by a messy sounding crash that Sonic couldn't help but to flinch at. The remaining silence filled by the muted ring of the fire alarm.  
Sonic whipped around, spotting the black smoke creep under the door 'Sam!'

Behind him, Robotnik laughed 'Heh, That should do the tri-' Sonic didn't wait around to hear the rest. He slammed open the workshop door, releasing a gust of smoke, making his eyes water; he squinted into the dark.

The interior was also full of smoke, ultimately reducing the visibility to a few black lumpy shapes in his peripheral vision. At this height, he didn't have to worry about inhaling much.

Soon he found Sam was lying face-up among broken wreckage of racking he must have been blown into, completely motionless. Needed to get him out of here, fast.

Sonic tugged at his arm, the man groaned in response. His eyes barely cracked open 'Sonic, nice for you to stop by...' he trailed off, eyes fixating on something over Sonic's shoulder, his smile fell instantly.

The next groan sounded more regretful. 'The rocket engine! I should have left it at my house instead of showing it off.' Suddenly distraught, he tried getting up before falling back on his ass. 'The president will murder me!' Sam sounded genuinely upset. Sonic couldn't help but feel a mounting responsibility for the situation.

'It's okay Sam, I will get Tails to fix it! I'm sure he would be up for helping you out.' He swung Sam's arm over his shoulders and begun to walk his disorientated bulk to the door '...And we can hide the rocket car at Chris's house too! We can pick it up using the X Tornado.' He had no idea how they were going to sneak it out, but they would have to try. This was the least he could do.

Sam coughed in response.

'We're almost there!' He pulled a little harder, managing to stumble-drag the human's partially limp body through the last stretch before bursting out into the open.

They were greeted by the rapidly increasing sound of sirens and valuable fresh air he needed desperately in his lungs.  
He gently lowered his Sam to the ground, where he flopped unceremoniously.

Unsurprisingly Robotnik had not stuck around, and it was just the two of them.  
Sam was smiling at him now, Sonic realized the top collar of his suit had come undone showcasing the bare skin underneath.

He tried not to stare, instead opting to gather himself off the ground. 'It seems like Robotnik has gotten away.'  
Sam perked up at that 'He must have switched out the fuel formula I got from that government agent!'

Sonic didn't have the mental strength to deal with that just now 'I am going to find him, can you hang tight?'

'Sure Sonic! And uh...' He broke off in a coughing fit. 'Thank you for offering to help, for both the rocket engine and just now I mean...I would have been toast if not for you showing up on time.'

Sonic gave him a thumbs-up 'No problem Sam, I will see you soon!' Before the conversation could make him feel any guiltier than he was already gone. No one could ever know where he was today, especially Sam.


	3. Speedy Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eggman hatches his plan, Sam is living an existential nightmare.

Dr. Ivo Robotnik was feeling in his element today, as he was, in fact, dressed as a literal doctor. This disguise had been a little more difficult to source than the government agent coat he had worn earlier.  
He allowed himself a rare self-satisfied smirk as he strolled down the mostly empty hallways flanked by his two goons.

In the end, his plan had worked beautifully. He had played that stupid racer like a cheap fiddle. His overblown ego eventually blowing up right in his face and landing him in this superbug infested hellhole earth-dwellers called a "hospital."

Exactly where Robotnik wanted him.

He straightened up, seeing a pretty young doctor walking in his direction. Being around other humans was strange and confusing to him, but the prospect of a partner was very titillating. He decided to smile at her eider way; if he carried on practicing, maybe one day could get lucky.

'So what are we doing here, boss?' Asked Bocoe dressed in an incredibly convincing (by Eggman's standards) nurse uniform. He had spent a good deal of time sourcing it in case he came up with a scheme convoluted enough to infiltrate a hospital.

'Well, I was going to explain later, but now is time as any to enlighten you two on my plan.' He answered as he turned the corner, looking back to check if his goons were keeping up.

'Yeah, you never said that we were going to a hospital! I don't want to catch anything.' Complained Decoe on his other side pushing a medical trolley they had earlier equipped with the Robotnik.tm consciousness scanning device.

That was enough to trigger Robotnik's short temper 'Shut up I'm about to explain!'

Breathe Ivo, he thought, in and out.

'I realized the reason Sonic always defeats all I send at him is because I have been approaching this whole chaos emerald thing wrong. Sonic does not respect the engineering genius behind my creations, he just destroys them!' He began. 'And then I thought, what is that he respects?

'His friends?'

'Helping others in need?'

'No! Wrong!' Robotnik corrected turning another corner 'He respects a great opponent! If I could just create one that is more than a rival to his skill, he would not be able to resist testing his speed against them! The trophy, you ask? All the loser's chaos emeralds!' He cackled. They came to a stop at a numbered door 'Anyway here we are, you buffoons better stay in character.'

He opened the door to a small hospital room, he spied a bed with his target but...

The kid was here.

'Hello! Are you a new doctor for the night?' Asked Chris looking up at him expectantly.

'Uh...hey kid.' He did not expect this development but considering how easy it was to trick his uncle this should be a breeze. 'Yes, I am Dr.Namge, the night doctor. Where are your parents?' He checked the medical card at the bottom of the bed, pretending to look busy.

Sam Speed. What a ridiculous name.

Chris gave him a sad smile 'They are too busy to come visit uncle Sam with me. I am just waiting for someone to come pick me up so I won't be here for much longer.'

'Well...I suggest you wait outside. I scan your uncle's brains for...' He checked the record again '...concussion.'  
He must have said something wrong because the little brat looked like he was about to cry.

'Is uncle Sam going to die?' And he was actually tearing up, how terrible.

Now Robotnik was an expert at many things, but child-rearing was not one of them. 'No, of course not, but you need to let me do my job!' He ushered the kid out the door before any of his snotty tears could get on his jacket, slamming it as soon as Chris' feet crossed the threshold.

'That's better.'

Finally, having had gotten rid of the pest, he turned to his patient with Decoe and Bocoe crowding in on eider side.  
'You sure you got the right guy?' Decoe said poking the unconscious human. 'He doesn't have much in his head to scan.'

Robotnik laughed priming his the device 'He does have one thing, the desire to win no matter what, which just happens to be a crucial ingredient to my creation! It's time for Sonic to meet his real match!'  
-  
Sam woke up with Eggman's villainous laughter bouncing around his head. The weird dream had been a staple in his life ever since the incident. He rolled over onto his side, wincing in pain.

He was feeling better after being released from the hospital on a recovery leave with a minor concussion and a few broken ribs. The worst injury had been his broken left hand, putting him out of the driver's seat until fully recovered, much to his displeasure.

It had been torture and left him feeling more vulnerable than he had felt in a while. This was probably partially also due to being fired sixteen feet across the S Team workshop, which in itself was an experience he would like to avoid in the future.

Right now, it sported an uncomfortable brace and had to be regularly checked for its progress by a physician who did not believe Sam's claims that his injuries healed 'faster because he was fast at everything.'

On a positive note, yesterday's check-up had gone well, and he had been given the go-ahead to do a little driving as long as he didn't overdo it. Squinting in the morning light, Sam propped himself up with his good hand and moved to get ready.

The Thorndykes had insisted that he spend the recovery time at their family home. Sam was initially reluctant but agreed with some prodding. Secretly, he was glad for their persistence, spending this time at home would just have reminded him of what he enjoyed most.

Besides, life at the Thorndyke mansion was.... exciting as of late. The addition of Sam's new extraterrestrial friends had undoubtedly brought a new layer to an already eccentric family.

Broken ribs aside, this stay had so far been a pleasant one. Chris and his friends had kept him company most of the time; he was bedridden, bringing movies and games for them to play. Several times, he got caught trying to sneak out to test out his one-handed driving technique only to be wrangled back by Mr.Tanaka. His explanations falling on death ears.

Even Sonic made an appearance at least once per day, sharing stories of his many of his heroic exploits and general tidbits from Station Square. He was also the only one that truly understood Sam's frustration with his confinement. However, he did try to gently discourage him from marking off the days by scratching lines into the wall above his bed.

Sam had to admit that he did not expect that kind of determination, but the hedgehog had once again proven him wrong. Being a sucker for attention, he had come to look forward and even structure his daily routine to accommodate the little encounters.

Once he was allowed to leave his room, which had been an uphill battle with the doting Ella. He spent copious amounts of time in the workshop trying to help out Chuck and Tails on the repairs to the wrecked rocket engine. Sonic would still join him there too, being a general nuisance and constant source of entertainment during more grueling work. Their goofing would always turn result in them getting kicked out.

This was where he was heading this morning, excited to see the progress of the repairs. He knew there was no way that he would be allowed to test drive the rocket engine, but there was no point in not trying!

Sam thought this as he hurried to the workshop before he could be spotted and scolded for skipping breakfast.  
As expected, Tails and Chuck were already there, as was his rocket engine, looking brand new next to the X Tornado.

True to his word, Sonic had somehow managed to transport the full bulk of the wreck to the mansion under the nose of the authorities. How did he do it? Sam was not too sure but chose to stay ignorant on the matter.

Now that the most significant outer repairs had been completed, the intricate work was all that was left. And that was not precisely Sam's forte. Today he struggled with the delicate circuit boards, his hand not doing him any favors.

The third time he burned himself with the soldering iron, Chuck decided it was his time to go.

'Sam, you idiot! you can't just rush the delicate work of a rocket engine!' Before Sam could pick the iron back, it was snatched out his grasp.

Sam scratched his head, feeling useless. 'I'm sorry, but it's literal rocket science!'

'Hey Sonic should be coming by soon, why don't you go meet him?' Suggested Tails, picking up where he left off. 'You can come back and help us later.'

After being chased out of the workshop by the old man and the fox, Sam found himself sitting on a terrace overlooking the sprawling estate watching Amy and Cream make flower crowns.

He felt a bout of aimlessness coming on, being so close to getting back into the swing of things was making the waiting worse. Being pulled out of his natural state for too long had forced him to actually think about his circumstances. Sam hated thinking.

He wanted to help people and race with Sonic, like he promised.  
Sam's thoughts didn't often stray enough to consider the present too much, being so fast that he mostly thought of the future. But he couldn't help feeling stuck, useless at everything except for the only thing he was good at. (It was going fast)

What was the point of his existence? Sonic could do his job at thrice the speed, and his team was probably doing better without his antics anyway. What else could he do if he can no longer race?  
'Getting tired of hanging out with a bunch of kids?' He jumped, interrupted out of his brooding by a certain hedgehog. 

Sam managed to school his expression into his usual cocky grin 'No, of course not! Why would you say that?' one blue ear swiveled in his direction, probably picking up the hesitation in his voice.

Sonic ignored his question 'I am surprised you aren't outside burning rubber. You were pretty stoked on doing that yesterday.' He moved to sit opposite him 'What's up?'  
Sam sighed, which was something he never usually did; he always breathed on time.

'I'm just feeling a little out of it, I guess, like I will be as good as I was before. Like I have this feeling that I don't really deserve to get back to my awesome, great high-speed life I've had before.'  
The hedgehog cocked his head, 'So you feel.... guilty?' his expression was unreadable.

'It was nobody's fault but my own. There is no point in denying it, If it wasn't for my own need to win against you, I wouldn't be in this state.' He said, indicating at his hand, 'I am lucky that I had only been out for a short while, but still, instead of doing my job, I am stuck here.'

Sonic gave him an odd look. 'It was just an incident, Sam, there is no way you could have known what was going to happen.' He said leaning in on his elbows so close that Sam could see the individual hairs on his snout. 'It would have been one awesome race if that stuff actually worked.'

Sam broke the intense eye contact, turning back just to catch Chris being crowned with his personal flower wreath. Just beyond that was the garage, where Mr.Tanaka had parked his private vehicle for when he was finally ready to drive.

'Yeah, I guess.'

His attention was caught again as Sonic gently scooped up Sam's broken hand, holding it in between them. The racer momentarily wondered what his hands looked like underneath the gloves. 'I only want to race you at your best Sam, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to win. It's what I like about you.' The pads of his fingers gently brushing the underside his palm, mindful of the brace, making his skin tingle.

Even for Sam's standards, this was getting weird. However, he could not help feeling touched by the kind words, there was a sincerity to them that oiled the cogs in his head. Sonic was right; a dumb incident was just an incident. It never changed anything in the first place except giving him another challenge, and Sam loved challenges.

'Well, I guess the faster I start, the faster I will get going.' He said, mood starting to lift. He was Sam Speed after all! 'The city will fall apart without me if I don't try!'

'And you can teach me how to drive!

Sam had to laugh at that the prospect of Sonic behind the wheel 'Why would you want to drive? You are literally the fastest thing on earth right now.'  
Sonic waggled his eyebrows 'Aww, you flatter me, is that an admission of defeat?'

Sam spluttered 'No, of course not! You may be good, but I will be better! Also, you might be too short to reach the pedals, but you could come with me anyway. It would be nice to have some company for the test drive.' Maybe if he could adjust the seat settings...

He suddenly couldn't wait, the prospect of freedom suddenly so bright it was blinding 'I want to go tonight, to the coastline and back.' He turned to the beaming hedgehog' six alright with you?'  
Sonic seemed more than overjoyed at that 'Sounds Awesome! Its a date!' He beamed, letting go of his hand, turning to leap off the veranda.

Before Sam could explain that a time is not a date, they were interrupted by Chris practically barging in, skidding to a halt in front of the two.

'Sonic! Bokkun is here, and he said he wants to talk to you, please come fast, Ella will kill me if she has to clean charred furniture again.'  
Sonic and Sam both looked at each other before making a mad dash downstairs, where the rest of the household had gathered to gawp at Eggman's flying messenger. Sam arriving with Chis just in time.

'You are finally here! Good, for someone that is supposed to be fast you are awfully slow!' The little black robot squeaked accusingly pulling a possibly explosive TV set out of his messenger bag. 'Anyway, just watch this so I can leave.' Without further ado, he turned it on, Robotnik's mug instantly popping up on the screen.

'Hello, Sonic! Getting bored with so little competition?' He began stopping to look at the camera as if expecting to hear an answer. 'Well, you are in for a treat as I am challenging you to a race!'  
There was a stunned silence as everyone watched the fat scientist moved aside to show a replica of Sam's car slowly swiveling on a round podium as Decoe and Bocoe ran around it, waving flashlights in the crude mockery of a car show.

'…I, Dr. Robotnik, have designed the perfect racer! It has it all, speed, tech, drive, and best of all it's got a competitor's spirit!' The camera panned to the driver's seat where a helmeted driver sat in a perfect copy of Sam's S-Team suit, they gave a thumbs-up, movements uniquely robotic.

'Hey, Sonic! How about that race?' It said, with a pang of horror, Sam realized that it was a perfect replica of his own voice. Everyone in the room turned to look at him, some more accusing than others.

He was ultimately at a loss at what to say, the car had his voice! What else of his did it have?

On the video, Robotnik was still talking '...Its name is S2, and does it seem a bit familiar? Let us just say I improved the attitude of a certain highway idiot with a single-minded drive to win! And it is the ultimate opponent, just for you Sonic. And I know you might be a bit apprehensive to pedal for the medal so I made the medal be the loser's chaos emeralds!' He laughed. 'I will see you tomorrow at noon at the western city ring intersection! Make sure to bring your friends so they can watch you looooose!'

The TV powered off with a sharp ping.

Ella didn't waste second in chasing Bokkun out the house before the message exploded.

Everyone else turned to Sam.

Being the fastest man in the room, he was the first to speak.  
'How does he have my brain?' Is that why he had been feeling so weird lately? 'HAS HE TAKEN MY BRAIN?'

Chuck clapped him on the back 'Calm down Sam, he does not "have your brain," Eggman must have copied your consciousness after he orchestrated your accident.'

'Do you remember any of your hospital stay, Sam?' Asked Amy' Like a fat guy with a mustache pretending to be a nurse or something? He is known for his shoddy personalities.'

Sam thought hard (and fast), but nothing came up 'I'm sorry I was knocked out pretty bad.'

'I remember!' All heads turned to Chris. 'When I was visiting Uncle Sam, I met a weird night doctor who said he was going to scan his brain! I think his name was...' He tapped his chin '...Dr. Namge' Realization dawned on his face.'...Oh'

Everyone collectively groaned.

It all made sense! Sam thought, 'Dr Eggman must have stolen my brain scans! Right after, he switched out those fuel samples to send me to the hospital!' He had it all figured out, maybe Chuck was right.

'It doesn't matter what Robotnik throws at me.' Said Sonic confidently puffing up his chest, 'I am going to race him and win his chaos emeralds!'

Amy put a hand on his shoulder 'You sure Sonic? I feel like he has a trick up his sleeve.'

Sonic grinned 'Thanks for your concern, Amy!' He winked, giving her a thumbs-up, 'but this hedgehog isn't getting squashed that easily!'


	4. The Race

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic does the race. Chris is there too.

By the time Sonic and his pals arrived at the race start a rough-looking crowd had already formed at the intersection.  
A simple setup of an LCD screen and a podium (how did the genius get a that up so fast?) stood facing the starting line which Eggman was currently spray-painting onto the asphalt as camera drones zipped overhead. A hastily-made banner misspelling “100% LEGAL ROAD RACE” lazily flapped in the wind above the whole setup.

He must have a great advertising strategy, Sonic thought. 

He shuddered internally spotting the unholy replica of Sam's car already revving its engine much to the crowd's delight. Sam Speed joining in on a dubiously legal road race must have been quite the news, although the crowd was not too big Sonic could make out some of the crazier looking individuals from his last venture.  
It was giving him an uncomfortable sense of deja vu. Sonic didn't believe in much, besides going fast of course, but he couldn't help to feel like this was some sort of divine punishment. For failing Sam. 

He was hoping to have come clean to the racer about the incident weeks ago, but the admission of the truth came harder than he had expected. Being left for this long the guilt had not subsided, especially after yesterday's conversation the racers existential breakdown had taken him by surprise. Sonic had never considered that Sam might be blaming himself for the whole ordeal. 

And that was absolutely not what Sonic had in mind. 

At least his proposal of a date had gone down well. His real plan was to tell Sam then, where he could conveniently escape in case things got too awkward. He watched the man in question help Cream out of the X Tornado, perhaps it would not be all that bad and his awesome advances would be reciprocated.   
And he had been so close...  
But then Eggman had to stick his big fat nose into it and ruin his already amateurish attempt at seduction, Sonic only had so much patience for his games.

The blue hedgehog crossed his arms, his foot subconsciously tapping against the ground. All he had to do was triumph over Robotnik's abomination then he could ask Sam out again, undoubtedly the man had already forgotten their earlier plans, being quick to forget was one of his finer qualities.

He turned back watching as everyone shuffled onto the stand. He had even brought a reluctant Knuckles along in case Eggman was to try anything funny with him preoccupied. Funny things that included kidnapping or trying to assassinate any of his friends. His hand's tightened into fists. 

It was time to race. 

'Hey Robotnik! ' He called after the evil genius 'Can we get going already? There is somewhere I need to be.' 

Robotnik straightened his back with an audible crack 'Ah Sonic, predictable for you to arrive on time. Are you ready to lose your chaos emeralds?' He scanned the group on the podium, obviously searching for something 'Where are your chaos emeralds?' 

Chris adopted a power stance 'You will get them after the race IF you win. You didn't bring your chaos emeralds here, did you?' 

'What? No of course not!' Eggman backtracked, motioning for Bocoe to wheel a suspicious-looking crate away. 'I would never be so foolish.'

Before this conversation could veer off the track Sonic cleared his throat. 'Can we at least hear the rules of the race?' 

'Yes! Three laps around the outer ring, who is first is the winner. Is that so hard to comprehend?' 

Sonic wanted to believe that, 'Three laps that's it? No traps, no missiles, no robots, and no obstacles whatsoever. Sounds pretty boring for you Eggman' 

'You call that boring? there is no way you will be able to win against my genius!' The Eggman gloated ascending the podium, everyone else shuffling back as if repelled by a magnetic force. 'If you really think that I will stoop as low as SOME PEOPLE' He gave Sam a pointed glare 'you are clearly mistaken.'

'Fair enough Eggface.' He might be bluffing. Sonic pondered this fixing a microphone headpiece to his ear, Tails' voice instantly coming through loud and clear 'Sonic can you hear me?' he gave a thumbs-up in reply.  
This could be one of those rare times that Eggman actually thought he had it in the bag. If he did, this was going to be easy. 

'I hope you win Sonic!' Called Amy, 'I would have given you a ring but Cream said that would be cheating.'  
'Well, there is nothing I can give you, except a kiss for good luck!' Sam laughed next to her, before being kicked in the shin. 'Ouch!'   
Sonic grinned giving them both a wink. 'Thanks for the offer but I don't need luck to win.' 

Any good wishes directed his way were suddenly drowned by Eggman honking dual air horns, everyone, including the audience flinched.   
'Enough friendly banter! Get to the starting line rodent!' He screamed, dropping down into a deckchair lovingly provided by one of his goons.

Rolling his eyes Sonic did as he was told, making sure to give the S2 a wide berth as he did so. He knew from previous experience how bad the kicked-up gravel could get from these things. Considering that this was Robotnik's invention he could not assume how fast it would actually be, or the dangers that a twisted version of Sam's psyche could bring into the race.

Besides, the thing was giving him the heebee-jeebees. If Eggman made the robot copy Sam's exact likeness to deliberately encourage Sonic to race then his attempt lay in the deep dark slope of the uncanny valley. 

Thankfully Decoe was stationed in between them, napkin in hand. 

His spines bristled at pretend-Sam's voice 'You ready to race Sonic?' it sounded like Sam. He wondered if the driver looked like Sam underneath the 'helmet', probably not but he could never be too sure. 

The rumble of the car's engine reverberated up through the asphalt and up his entire body. He ignored it centering his eyes on the far-off end of the track. 

'Get ready!' He took several deep breaths, centering himself. This was what he did best, he never failed. 

'Go!' 

With the graceful wave of Decoe's handkerchief he was gone, feet barely touching the ground as he raced over the first stretch with natural ease. The scenery around him melted into a multi-colored blur, he was in his element speeding down the highway, all noise drowned out by the air in his ears.

It wasn't long before he felt the telltale shift in air pressure behind him. There was that rumble again signifying that his opponent was gaining momentum.  
'Ready to lose to the fastest Sonic?' Much to Sonic's annoyance S2's voice somehow carrying loud and clear over the roaring wind. 

Was this thing actually programmed to taunt him? 

'Why don't you just shut up?' He snapped back.

'Oh you break my heart getting this prickly Sonic!!'

He didn't dare look back, the idea of seeing his manufactured rival somehow foreboding enough to push himself to go faster, the sound of the crowd growing louder and dissipating in a second was the only tell of his current position. He smirked to himself cleanly fining-off the first lap, two more to go and he would be free of this race and hopefully the cursed robot too.

'You may be fast but I am speeder than speed!'

That one didn't even make sense. 

The second stretch started with no issue as he skimmed the curve of the ring still light on his feet. There was a gnawing loneliness to it through, even with S2's bizarre scrambled taunts it was nowhere near to the real deal. Sonic was completely alone out here, the road an empty, never-ending mundane path with only one, potentially dangerous companion.

'Hedgehog's can't run! But an engine sure can!' 

'It's a blast to go fast!'

He tried to not think about how the S2 unit was moving in closer in the corner of his eye, listing in and out of his vision but never actually speeding up enough to catch up. Something felt wrong. As if there was a strategy at work here he wasn't privy to. 

In hindsight, Sonic realized he should have listened to Amy.

S2 suddenly swerved, the pointed hood barely missing his heels quickly regaining form on his left flank. 

Momentarily missing his rhythm he gritted his teeth as he was pushed to run faster 'Hey watch it!' He yelled at no-one in particular. 

'Just because you are cute doesn't mean I'll let you win!'

Why was S2 saying that? Was that a Sam phrase?

Sonic turned to catch a glimpse of his rival and was horrified to not see one, but two S2 units now closing in on his position.

It dawned on him that Eggman was not going to play fair after all.   
-

Everyone stared on in confusion at the screen displaying multiple S2 cars now joining in on the race, appearing out of bushes, gaps in between buildings, the odd one that just straight up burrowing itself right out the ground like an outdated Tremors callback. 

The crowd had gone completely silent, the grasp of the idea that this wasn't a race anymore was slowly spreading as a murmur increased in volume. 

Tails was the first to speak up 'What gives Eggman? You said no cheating.' The rest of the group chimed in with their own protests.

Robotnik snorted, mustache flaring with pride. 'Don't be stupid, these S2 units are all ran by the same program therefore are technically, one opponent.'

Amy stomped her foot 'No fair Eggman! This has got to be against the rules.' 

'Oh, and what are the rules?' Robotnik reached into a lapel of his coat, note pad with the words 'Race Rules' scrawled messily across the front. 'You mean the rules that I wrote?' He threw the book in Amy's direction who caught it instantly leafing through the pages.

'All the pages are blank!' 

Robotnik chucked 'Oh my dear sweet little vermin, that's because there are no rules!' his chuckle turned into an outright evil cackle.

Sam's eyes remained fixed on the screen. This was ridiculous, Sonic could obviously move faster than the S2, but seemed to be holding back for the final push.   
He could see the cloud of dust rising on the horizon now, with it carried the distinct sound of a sonic boom. The air shifted, his ears popped with the change as Sonic tore over the finishing line first, followed by dozens of S2 vehicles. 

'Wait. Why aren't they stopping?' 

Chris was having none of it. 'This was never about the chaos emeralds, Robotnik is trying to capture Sonic!' 

Robotnik clapped his hands together 'Well done!' He said reaching out to ruffle Chris' hair who slapped it away, behind him Knuckles punched his hand into his fist as a warning. 'My that took you all a long time. Of course it's not about the chaos emeralds!' With an apparent air of villainy smugness he turned back to the footage of the race. 'It is so simple! With the use of your 'internet' I was able to divulge the most lethal thing to hedgehogs everywhere. Do you want to take a wild guess?'

Chris' eyes widened '...No. You wouldn't do that to Sonic!'

'...Getting run over! Hahaha! Its genius I know. How ironic for our dear Sonic shall become roadkill like the rest of his vile kind under the wheel of my own creation!' 

This couldn't be happening. But it was, in horror Sam was powerless to watch as an army his own look-alikes (he didn't know what a doppelganger was) closed in closer and closer to the blue blur pictured on the pixilated screen. Sonic had veered off to the road by now, and was currently being chased through the surrounding desert with the camera drones conveniently keeping up.

He knew from experience that Sonic could hold out for a long time, and with no doubt run faster than Robotnik's S2 but for how long? If Sam knew anything about robots is that they were not people. But if these things thought like him, perhaps there was a chance in stopping them.

This was not going to be easy, if Sam could race forever, that is exactly what he would do. He looked down at his bad hand, then up at the chaos surrounding him.

Everyone on the creaky podium gone off to play out their separate states of panic, the cold realization that they had been duped by Robotnik once again taking root. Amy, hammer out, was being wrangled by Chris and Cream, who were holding her back from possibly pulverizing Eggman, and his robot henchmen who were currently serving popcorn to their master. 

Chuck and Tails looked like they were discussing a plan of action on the far end of the platform, away from prying ears. Sam wandered over to listen in.

'...No, that will take too long...we might be too late. We need to get them to stop chasing him.' Chuck was saying before spotting him 'Sam! What do you think?'

Sam shrugged 'I don't' 

Both inventors groaned in frustration at his sincere reply.

'You have to think for a second Sam, you might be the key. Is there anything that would sort of... demotivate you from racing Sonic?' Tails asked.

'If we just pick him up the S2s will follow him to the city, causing havoc, we need to get them now that they are out in the open.' Chuck added 'Is there anything that comes to mind, just think on this for a second on this Sam'

They were right, he had to think. These things were supposed to have his brilliant brains. So how would he stop himself? That would be impossible, he never strayed from a race! There was always a race if there was competition...

He concentrated, his awesome fast thoughts going even faster than he perceived would ever be possible.

How would he beat himself in an illegal road race?

Sam tapped his forehead, had never thought so hard in his life.  
  
That's it!

Startling both Tails and Chuck he tore off his outer clothes to reveal the racing suit underneath Sam jumped off the podium looking over his shoulder 'I know what to do! Tails! You will need to take me to the S Team headquarters, I'll explain on the way.'

-

Sonic was no idiot. He knew he needed to keep going the moment he crossed the finishing line, reeling off the road into the wide expanse of the desert. The race was over, Sonic had expected that it was not the case for S2.   
He did however, not expect the rocket. The upturned dirt and soil rained down on him and the bang re-vibrated in his eardrums as he ran.

Unfortunately it did not drone out the S2 'Afraid to get a little flat there Sonic?' 

'Are you an internal combustion fan? Because you suck!' 

He still wasn't sure what Robotnik was planning but it definitely had a lot to do with the cars following him right now. 

'I will go over you before I go around you Sonic!' 

Well, it looked like S2 had just explained it.

He dodged another rocket, then another letting the momentum of the blast push him forward. The race was one thing but these taunts were already wearing him down, perhaps the psychological torture was the plan, maybe Eggman will truly claim victory this time. 

He hated to admit it but he could not run forever, and these things seemed to be appearing out of nowhere. Luckily he was was not planning on running for long. Kicking up dust he turned, charging at the car closest to him he jumped rolling into a ball ready to deal a devastating blow to the car closest to him.

Instead of feeling the satisfying crash of destruction he found himself being caught in what felt like a torrent of air slipping over the curve of the car body, then another, and again. It was like slipping over ice.  
By the time he landed on his feet he felt slightly queasy but unharmed. What was that? some sort of force-field? The S2 units behind him U turned sharply, wheels skidding in the dirt. 

'You ever hear of a slipstream Sonic? As much as I'd love you on top of me I'm afraid that might blow us off track. Hahaha!' 

Spotting the rest of the S2 swarm catching up Sonic opted to run to the side, the cars re-grouping behind him. This was useless! He should have taken that ring off Amy on the sly.  
He needed to lose them somehow, but there was nowhere to go where he would not endanger human lives.  
He felt like he was losing speed, how long had he been running? The hedgehog could see another S2 out of the corner of his eye again, the got ready to dodge but to his surprise the car moved in closer until he was running parallel to him at matching speed.  
  
The racer inside waved, Sonic wondered if this was another Eggman trick before Sam's voice poured in through his receiver 'Sonic! Its Sam, listen to me carefully; I am here to help you.'

The receiver! How could he have forgotten it? 'Sam! How did you get here?'

Sam ignored his question 'You need to let me pass you Sonic! We do not have much time before they figure out I am not one of them.'

'How will that do anything?' He could feel other S2 units getting close, if he slowed down now they both would be toast.

'I will explain later! Just trust me Sonic, the only way to stop them is for one of them to win.' They steered through a rough patch, dust, and scattered rocks flying behind them. 'Tails said this thing only has enough juice for another few minutes before I can't keep up or it will blow the engine!'

Sonic considered his options, if anyone would know how to beat this it would be Sam, or Tails, or Chris. 

It didn't matter who it was, Eggman's plans always had a weakness! It was a dumb move to weaponize one of his friends. 

'Ok, Sam.' He made a sharp turn, just to keep the distance, waiting for Sam to catch up. 'On three.' Inside the car Sam gave him a thumbs up.

'One' He veered into a smoother patch of ground, the afternoon sun blaring his vision.

'Two' The roar of the car's behind him was getting closer, it was now or never.

'Three!'

Looking back at this moment Sonic would later ponder if it had been necessary for him to slow down in the first place. Whatever Tails had done to the F1 engine sent the car flying past him, Sam's crazed screaming filled crackling through the receiver as he tore in front of him at a speed the racer had probably never experienced in his entire life. 

This was instantly joined by a crash and screech of metal, glancing over his shoulder he noted the dust cloud forming above now stationary, and upturned S2 units. Sonic slowed to a halt, his thighs burning. He touched the receiver. 

'You still there Sam?' There was a breathless chuckle in response that made his face feel warm. 

'Yep, all alright here! I hope my tiers haven't melted, I can't wreck two cars at once! People are going to get suspicious.'

Before he could respond the line was overtaken by an overstimulated Chris 'Sonic! Are you alight? I saw the whole race you are so awesome!' This was followed by dozens of relived voices speaking over each other in tandem. 

'I'm fine guys! Robotnik really needs to try harder to beat me!' Sonic squinted at a slowly approaching glint in the distance, Sam must be doing a turn-around. 'I will meet you guys later, time for a run!' 

-  
Robotnik gawped at the screen, completely dumbstruck 'What? Why have they stopped? They were never supposed to stop!' 

Next to him Bocoe shrugged.

Behind him, Sonic's little gang was basically falling over each other. Howling like a bunch of troglodytic idiots over the smallest scrap of victory.

Robotnik gritted his teeth. Let them have it... now before he claims the ultimate price, the chaos emeralds. 

The fox was already running his mouth '...And then I used the X Tornado fuel injector so Sam could catch up!'

So that was their plan, it seemed like he underestimated the sheer stupidity of the S2 units to recognize one of their own. 

And what was the deal with those flirty phrases? He didn't remember programming those in! That Sam Speed guy must have been hiding some deep-rooted degenerate inclinations in that empty head of his. 

This was absolutely appalling, another plan completely ruined once again. He should known to stop that fox sneaking-off with the highway clown. Scrap that. He should have broken both of his legs! 

Robotnik strived to have a positive outlook on villainy and was not one to dwell on his failures, choosing to learn from them instead. That is what made a successful evil genius after all! Too bad that waste of air of a hedgehog had lived to die another day. 

All he needed to do now was get his chaos emeralds and- 

He froze, hearing sirens. In this world these meant nothing good. The remaining crowd of random civilians seemed to know the drill, quickly scattering like cockroaches caught viewing in the light of his pocket-sized death-ray.

'ROBOTNIK WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED UNDER ACCOUNT OF ORCHESTRATING AN ILLEGAL ROAD RACE'

Of course it had to be that damned speed police, the ginger dolt must have grassed him out. And why did they have to say it out loud? On the bright side, he had never gotten done for a street race before, there was a first time for everything.

Sighing Robotnik got up from his deckchair he pressed a remote to summon his Egg Mobile. No matter, he thought climbing in, he had new plans to work on, schemes to plot and goons to soothe.

'Oh no it looks like the police are here!' 

'I don't want to go to prison! If anyone deserves to go there it's you!'

'Shut up you idiots no one is getting arrested!' He shuffled back a bit, he hated squeezing them all into the Egg Mobile but had to admit, it had become a strangely nostalgic experience. 'Get in!' 

-

It took approximately thirty seconds for Sonic to meet Sam halfway across the desert. He could see the car crossing the scenery follow by the same kicked-up dust he was currently covered in. 

With the sickest drift Sonic had ever laid his eyes upon Sam's car swung in a wide arc, stopping a few feet in front of him. With a hiss the top of the car lifted, this time with a pleasantly organic Sam inside. Sonic let out a breath he had been holding into the dry desert air, all the cool quips he had prepared for this moment melted to nothing under the glaring sun.

'You must be pretty pooped, need a ride?' Sam beckoned him in with a gloved hand, his eyes crinkling at the edges through the visor of the helmet. 

'Sure!' He tried not to sound too overeager. Shaking off the grit he took the offered hand climbing into the vehicle sliding into the sun-warmed seat beside the human.   
Sam pressed something on the console, the roof hissed closed over them the rumble of the engine muting to a low purr that the hedgehog could feel through the seat. Sonic opened his mouth only to close it again, his eyes glued to Sam unbuckling his helmet, pulling it off the baklava underneath his hair was dark at the temples.

He needed to get a hold of himself, Sonic realized he had been staring for too long, tearing his eyes away he focused in on the buttons on the dashboard 'Where are we going?' 

Sam did something that made the car lurch forward, sending them flying over the rough terrain within seconds. His hands around the steering wheel were shaking, he did not seem to notice. 'On your date, remember? Or are you forgetting stuff quickly too?' 

Sonic grinned despite himself, relieved he didn't have to ask after all. He brought himself back to reality 'That sounds great but, Sam, your hands are sort of freaking out here dude.' He imagined the human must have forced himself to test-drive his healing hand in this situation, the thought was frightening, but also touching. 'Are you alright to drive? I mean, with your hand and all.'

Sam lifted his bad hand of the steering wheel, stretching it out towards the dashboard 'The hand doesn't matter when lives are at stake Sonic.' He sounded so serious Sonic almost regretted asking,'I've got to admit you set me up with the greatest test drive known to mankind!' He flexed his other hand using it to stroke his mussed hair back into place.

Turning, he gave Sonic a crooked smile 'At least I got to win against you for once!' He laughed, momentarily interrupted by the control lighting up with a ping, he moved a curious lever of which function Sonic did not understand. 

The shaking of the vehicle subsided to a low growl, he could feel in his bones, speed increasing ten forth and pressing him into the seat. It was an odd sensation, but not entirely unpleasant. Sonic smiled to himself, he could get used to this.

'Hey!' Taking the chance to instigate some physical contact he gently elbowed the racer in the side. 'That doesn't count, I deliberately let you win.'

Sam swatted him back 'We will have to settle that score! What I am about to say sounds crazy but I'm all too raced out for today little dude.' They rolled back onto a road, now populated by other cars. 'You hungry? I'm pretty sure there is food in the glove compartment.'

Sonic chose not to question it, pulling out a soda. 'Won't you get in trouble for using the car?' 

Sam caught his eye, winking. 'Nah, I'm too fast.'

Sonic didn't even know how to respond to that, turning his blushing face away he leaned back in his seat enjoying the ride. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link to website : https: / / www.uksafari.com/hedgehogs5. htm


	5. Street Crimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic and Sam goof about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heed my warning this is where shit gets real.

After the dusty ordeal in the desert, Sam drove them to a refreshingly greener part of Station Square, giving Sonic an extensive first-hand tour of the various points of interest littered throughout the labyrinth of modern architecture.

This eventually resulted in them heading down the bustling central boulevard. Not too keen on attracting media attention (again) Sonic leaned back, his arms crossed behind his head, allowing himself to relax.

"...And that's why we don't have a wet market anymore." Sonic couldn't focus on relaxing too long, distracted by Sam's hands on the steering wheel.

If Sam noticed his staring or not, he didn't comment on it. "So, how is the ride?"

Sonic shifted from his position in the passenger seat, inconspicuously averting his gaze at the passing scenery. "Frustrating nowhere near fast enough."

Sam huffed in amusement. "How about the date?"

"So far? Pretty good."

"I'm glad. As much as I'd love to show you my high-speed collision evasion skills, I don't think it would be appropriate to do it in the middle of the city."

They turned down a vast, empty parkway. Neatly-trimmed trees swayed on both sides, light filtering in and out through their branches, casting a shifting pattern onto the asphalt ahead of them.

"Whether you will get to experience my immaculate driving in its full glory depends on this vehicle surviving the first stage of the date!"

Sonic blinked. "Wait, you planned out stages?"

"Can't move fast without a plan!" Smoothly, they pulled up on the side, shutting off the engine. Birdsong and the hum of the city filtered through the afternoon air. Swiveling his years, Sonic sat up to inspect their surroundings, curious as to why Sam would have brought him to this new location without any explanation.

They were in a quiet part of the park, some teenagers were playing football in the far distance, partly obscured by trees. A lady walked her dog on the far side of the street. Headphones in her ears, too caught up in whatever she was listening to notice an F1 car casually parked a few feet away from her. Other than that, the place was mostly devoid of people.

"Where is everyone?"

He watched curiously as Sam adjusted his seat further back. "It's getting late, most people don't tend to go to the park at night. And if they do, it is usually for activities that they don't want the police to see. Plus, this totally surveillance-free road is only open for special events. That should stop us from being interrupted from..." He tapped his hands on the dashboard, imitating a drum-roll "...Your driving lesson!"

Sonic's felt his eyes light up despite himself, "Really?" He hadn't actually expected Sam to have remembered his earlier suggestion of a date activity, something tensed in his gut. He blamed it on the chili dogs they had earlier. "You will let me drive?"

"You've earned it, bud!" The racer grinned, undoing his seat belt. "You won't be able to reach the pedals, but you can steer the wheel for sure. Here." He patted his knee, leaning back in his seat. "You will have to sit with me for this."

Sonic slathered his sudden excitement with a well-timed dig. "Oh, I see where this is going..." he gracelessly clambered over the console anyway, settling down in Sam's lap. "Is this what you do with all your dates?"

Keep it cool, Sonic. Keep it cool. His mental mantra didn't stop the screaming inside his head.

He was taken further off-guard when an arm circled around his midsection, pulling him flush against the human's chest. Sam's lap was warm, so were the fuzzies, he fought the all-consuming urge to snuggle in closer and soak up the contact, any responsive quips gone from his system "Ha! As if! You are a special case. This, by the way, is called the gear stick, it has eight gears, a normal boring car has seven...." Sam said, indicating a lever to their left. 'And this is the cup-holder, it holds receipts and spare change..."

Sonic tried to not get too distracted by their proximity as he was given a rundown of the various levers, dials, buttons, and clickety bits of the interior. Just like when Tails would go on about his inventions, he knew he wouldn't be able to recall half of it even if someone held him above a swimming pool, but he tried anyway. At least Sam's fervent babbling was endearing, almost as if he never got to share his passion, because of that Sonic was honored to listen.  
"...And this is the seat belt, it prevents forty-five percent of car accident deaths."

"I already knew that."

"Just making sure. You hurtling through the windshield at 100mph is the one blue blur I wouldn't want to be responsible for!" Sam chuckled, the sound reverberating against Sonic's back.

"You are so veeery romantic worrying about me!" Sonic tipped his head back in a mockery of a swoon, looking upwards at the human's upturned smirk. (Okay, maybe he was swooning like, just a little bit.) "Or are you going by Robotnik's example and started discussing your evil schemes before you go through with them?" Upside-down-Sam nodded knowingly, he gently caught the hedgehog's head with both hands and forced it back up to face the windscreen.

"The first rule of driving is to always keep your eyes on the road." Sam's voice was soft, just inches away from his ear. Sonic shuddered involuntarily, hoping the human didn't notice his apparent weakness. He placed his hands on the steering wheel. This was going to be more of a challenge than he initially anticipated.

"Okay, so... this is really unsafe and definitely illegal, but we have already broken at least ten separate laws today." Sam leaned forward, one hand pressing the ignition, the other gripping the top of the steering wheel. The engine jumped into life behind them. "What could go wrong with one more?" They started to roll forward slowly, gaining momentum, Sonic gripped the wheel tighter, trying to ignore the added stimulation brought on by the engine's vibration.

Soon the engine was clamoring for another gear, Sam punched it in with practiced ease then slowly removed his hand from the wheel. "She's all yours, dude, go wild!"

"Woah!" Sonic tugged at the wheel experimentally, making them veer to the side and back again. This wasn't so bad. "Check it out I'm driving!"

Behind him, Sam laughed. "You sure are buddy!" His voice quickly turned devilish. "Now, let's get serious." He must have hit the gas because they immediately went barreling forward, the speed pressing both of them into the driver's seat. Sonic's breath caught as his back slammed heavily into the racer's chest.

With the end of the street fast approaching, Sonic was determined to prove himself, getting bolder he went in for the full U-turn. The momentum threw him to the side, tiers scraping on the asphalt.  
Sam's arm protectively tightened around his middle. "I hate to admit you are doing pretty good, not great, but good." he praised over the noise. "You might be almost as good as me one day!"

This wouldn't do. Sonic wondered what maneuver he could pull that would impress someone that had done this their entire life.  
And to impress Sam, he would have to take drastic measures. "Can we do a Tokyo drift?"

  
It did the trick.

  
"Going in for the big D already? I like your style!" Sam's breath tickled his ear, the cop's hand closed over a lever Sonic remembered as the hand brake. "Just give it a spin!"

  
"Right now?" Honestly, Sonic didn't know what he expected.

  
"Knock yourself out!"

  
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Sonic thought as the volume of the engine picked up turning the atmosphere around them into a continuous buzz, the sound melting into background noise in his ears. He had Sam with him after all, a solidly present blanket of safety resting against his back. He sucked in a deep breath, staggered with the raging tempo of the engine, and yanked the wheel to the side, his arms straining. They swerved instantly; to his right, he glimpsed the lever lower with a click. In a split second, the control was gone, scenery turning into a watercolor blur right in front of his eyes.

  
He was more prepared this time, he held the wheel firm, keeping his balance in the seat. The entirety of the vehicle swung outwards at its own designated center of gravity as if the world itself was spinning on its axis. Sonic physically felt his body's interior organs follow the movement through, lurching like watery jelly in a water balloon, it was an oddly giddy sensation.

  
Sonic heard himself laughing with exhilaration, his hands on the wheel slipped, but Sam was right there, guiding them through in a complete circle.  
With a press of the break, they lurched to a sudden stop, the evening falling silent and still outside the windows. Sam's arm gave him a reaffirming squeeze, Sonic took a single moment to feel the rise and fall of the human's chest against his back, bringing him back into the present. "You doing alright there, buddy?"

  
Sonic slowly took his hands off the steering wheel, feeling the phantom resounding vibration still rattling in his bones. The noise was still there, taking on the sound of frenzied blood rushing in his ears.

  
"How was that?" Sam asked once more, gently unwrapping his arm from around Sonic's middle. He missed it instantly. "And uh... it's just called a drift by the way."  
Sonic recovered fast, getting up on (allegedly) wobbly legs he let himself get ushered into the passenger seat by Sam's careful hands.

  
"That was nowhere near as fun as running but. Usually, I stand on top of the thing someone's driving." He didn't want to admit it, but the experience had been, in fact, rather thrilling. Like one of those teacup rides, Chris had talked him into taking once, albeit a lot more extreme.

  
Sam laughed, his hand brushing reassuringly through the fur on his arm. "I've noticed. You did pretty well, by the way, something must be carried over from your running."

  
Sonic looked down at his shaking hands, he still felt Sam's phantom arm around him. "Yeah, it did feel a little similar." The excitement may have had something to do with getting to sit in the lap of an air-headed race car cop, but he had to digress that train of thought before it came out his mouth. "Honestly, it was pretty fun, and I guess it was uh.... awesome doing it with you."

  
This was getting too sappy. Sonic had to reel it back if he wanted to save his carefully cultivated cool vibe.

  
He fixed Sam with a mischievous look, narrowing his eyes. "And now I know how to sabotage you."

  
It was too late, Sam's egoistically cocky expression had already softened into something fond and mushy. Sonic feared the transformation may be permanent. "You don't need to sabotage me to win." His voice was almost a whisper as if divulging some covert secret. "We both know that."

  
Sonic didn't have a retort to that, so he leaned over the console, grabbed the scruff of Sam's red overalls, and kissed him.

  
The human made a startled noise of surprise but ultimately moved closer. A single hand came to cup the side of the hedgehogs face tilting it gently, his thumb affectionately stroking over Sonic's cheek, allowing their lips to slot closer together.

  
The hedgehog's ears quirked at a cringey, whiny sound that he realized was emerging from the back his own throat. The shame was lost, replaced with hunger in the heat of it all, he faltered losing his balance, arms turning into putty until all that was holding him up was Sam.

  
As a last attempt at saving his frazzled sanity, Sonic told himself he was not melting under the most unadorned, passionately disarming ministrations of the racer's soft lips, or shuddering at the touch he had been craving for months since arriving on earth.

  
In the next moment, it was over, they separated with a subtle wet noise, their lips lingering inches apart. Complacent, Sonic noted the human's quickened breath on his lips and the resulting pink flush along the bridge of his nose, it seemed like he wasn't the only one affected.

  
"Wow, okay, so..." Sam huffed, voice low. "...we are really going there."

  
Sonic felt a sense of security that he was not the only one trying to keep up their street cred after all. "I thought you knew, sort of assumed it since your robot clones wouldn't shut up about it."

  
Sam straightened up, the red flush creeping further up to the tips of his ears. "What did they say?"

  
"I don't remember much... something about me being cute." Sonic teased, pretending to examine his nails. With a dramatic tilt of his head, he locked their eyes together, basking in Sam's flustered expression. "And I can't leave out the one that went on about getting on top of me, crazy stuff, even for you."

  
Despite being taken back, a mischievous grin spread over the human's face, earlier embarrassment forgotten Sam placed one hand on the passenger seat. His bulk looming into Sonic's personal space, a mischievous glint in his eyes illuminated by the slowly shifting shadows outside "Oh yeah?"

  
"Yeah." Sonic moved closer until they were a hairs width away once more, the sound of crunching gravel under the wheels ridiculously loud to his ears in the palpable tension of their shared space.

  
Wait.

  
He must have been too distracted to notice the subtle movement at first, but it was unmistakable now.  
Sonic turned his head, Sam's lips connecting with his cheek. "Sam, I think the car is rolling back." His eyes drifted over to the windscreen confirming his suspicion; the other end of the street was slowly getting further away.

  
"Oh, don't worry about it!' Sam laughed reaching for the handbrake "It's not like there is anyone here anywa-"

  
He was interrupted startled by a soft, uniquely fleshy bump.

  
"That didn't sound good," Sam said stupidly, his hand instantly flew to console, the roof hissing open.

  
In an instant, they were out, skirting around the jagged shape of the car. They both stopped at the body of a man lying prone and completely still just partially covered in the shadow of the vehicle.

  
Sonic watched Sam's eyes widen to a level he had never through to witness, a picture of astounded dismay, before rushing over to the man's side.  
He flopped the body over, fumbling to check for vital signs. "Sonic, we have committed vehicular manslaughter!" He whisper-screamed at the hedgehog.  
The man groaned, head lolling to the side.

  
Sam breathed out once, shoulders going slack. "Oh wait, its just the vice president."

  
They both sighed in relief, momentary panic dissipating into the crisp evening air. Sonic stepped forward, taking a closer look, he could confirm that the man was indeed, the vice president. "Ha! It looks like it is, I wonder what he is doing here."

  
Sam frowned, standing back up he dusted off his overalls. "Isn't he getting investigated for working with Robotnik?"

  
"Chris said it was for tree-son." Sonic corrected, following the man back around the other side of the car, jumping back into the passenger seat.  
Sam slid in opposite to him, starting up the engine. "What's a Tree Son?"

  
Sonic tapped his chin, trying to remember the details of the conversation. Still, he could not recall the mysterious identity of Tree Son. "Not sure, maybe we could ask Tails. He's pretty smart."

  
"Let me know when you find out that Tree Son better not be faster than me!" With that, the conversation moved onto possible identities of Tree Son and the motive behind the politician's whereabouts. The human drove them back out on the main boulevard, Sonic read the passing signs indicating they were heading towards the coastline.

  
"Are we going to the beach?" The hedgehog mentioned casually, taking the chance to glance into the driver's seat.

  
"Yeah, I thought we could go see the setting sun. It's the only time you can look directly at it without burning your eyes."

  
Sonic felt his lips quirk at that "That sounds great, Sam." He selfishly didn't want the day to end just yet.

  
The long shadows and rush of traffic indicated the impending sunset, Sonic curiously inspected the redhead's profile, He fixated on the remains of the blush of his own making, feeling a pang of possessiveness, it was the only evidence of their earlier activities.

  
That and the possibly concussed politician, sporting the recovery position in a city park.

  
Hands in his lap, Sonic crossed his thumbs, hoping that the encounter of the presidential kind would not put a dampener on their evening. Sam didn't look too phased by the sudden occurrence, humming quietly he caught Sonic's eye; without any prompting, he reached over and flicked the hedgehog's nose.  
"Hey!" Sonic recoiled, covering his face. "What was that for?"

  
"You watch me a lot, it's cute," Sam said matter-of-factually, eyes fixing back on the road.

  
With the minimal amount disorientation, they eventually traveled across a small abandoned coastal parking lot Sam deemed 'date-worthy.' The sun was just starting to lower into the indigo line of the ocean, of which a slither was visible through the tall grass spurting out of the sandy dunes separating it from the stretch of beach. Much to Sonic's amusement Sam was adamant on squeezing the car through the wooden walkway serving as the beach entrance, nature be damned.

  
"I would have taken you to make-out point, but I've got to keep my profile low." Sam joked once they stopped just a few feet away from the waterline, engine coming to a halt. Sonic eyed the gentle waves suspiciously, swallowing his aversion he followed the human over the side of the car, feet thumping dully in the coarse sand.

  
Sam had simply sat down facing the water, ridiculously out of place in his bright red racing suit, he gave the hedgehog an expectant look over his shoulder. Sonic joined him, marveling at the sky above his head slowly changing from the color of his fur to the orange of the racer's hair, the tall grass rustled behind them loud in the rare moment of peace.

  
The hectic show of a day was creeping up on him, manifesting physically in his body as heavy leaden exhaustion. Not only had Sonic raced through every emotion he had ever felt in the space of a single day, there was something there that had broken and cracked, letting loose the guilt and attachment he had felt over the S Team garage incident all over again. Sam's heroic risk-taking only worsened the pain, the man ultimately unaware that he had simply finished what Sonic had started.

  
He mused on this watching Sam skip a stone over the calm surface of the sea, it flew at an impressive number of four skips before ultimately succumbing to the water.  
"I hope I get to see what's over the sea one day." Hesitantly, he allowed his head to rest on Sam's shoulder, soaking in the feeling of human contact, warmth seeping through the layers of fire-resistant fabric.

  
The human's free hand moved to rest in between his ears, petting him aimlessly. "Can't you run wherever in the world you want? Being fast and all." He asked, launching another pebble, this one skipped five times.

  
Sonic was in awe.

  
"No, I mean I can, it's just the water." Sonic selected a flat pebble, running a finger over its rounded surface. "I just hate it, I almost drowned in the Thorndyke's swimming pool after we first met." He threw it, imitating Sam's technique. The pebble flew true, before being caught by a rising crest of water, no skips. "Chris had to fish me out, I would have drowned otherwise."

  
Sam's arm wrapped around Sonic fully, grabbing him by the hand "That's rough, first contact like that would make me avoid water forever." A pebble was pressed into his palm and maneuvered between his pointer and middle finger "You won't need to swim to get over the ocean Sonic, you have friends to help you get there. They wouldn't think twice before taking you on an adventure, I'm sure you will love it." Sam finished flicking his and Sonic's wrist in one sure stroke, launching the pebble over the dark water.

  
They both watched it skip in silence.

  
They sat for a while longer privy to the gray twilight turning into a starry night. With some of Sonic's prompting, Sam told him about a bizarre nation over the ocean where people ate bland food and drove on the opposite side of the road. It sounded like an awful place to visit, especially when he learned about the frequent rain, if he trusted Sam as a reliable source of such information. (He did.) Eventually, the sun-warmed sand cooled enough to force them laughing and teasing back inside the car.

  
Content enough to admit there was one last hurdle to jump before he could allow himself the remorse-free company of the man beside him, Sonic braced himself. He turned from his current leaning position in the passenger seat, facing the human opposite him.

  
This was a time as any to come clean.

  
"Sam, I have something to tell you."  
He could barely see Sam in the darkness, illuminated by the console he was currently operating to adjust the seat-warming settings. "I know you like me, Sonic."  
The hedgehog felt himself blush at the obvious statement, "No, it's not that!" He took a deep breath. He had to do this, Sam had every right to know the truth. "I was there when Robotnik gave you that fuel sample."

Sam gasped. "Wait, that guy was Robotnik?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point I sort of...stalked you." The rhythmic whisper of the surf was the only thing filling the silence that followed his statement.

The human shifted in his seat, "How so?"

"I don't know!" Sonic winced at the nervous crackle in his voice. His chest burned as if the frustration and guilt were crawling itself out of his body with each painful word that left his mouth. "You were just fun to watch, and before I knew it, I was hiding in a locker. Then Robotnik showed up I tried to get rid of him without you finding out about me because it would make me look like a creep, but I was too late." Sonic had to concentrate on keeping the words separate, he could feel Sam's gaze on him but didn't have the guts to look up. "And then you got hurt, and you know... the rest happened." He looked down at his hands, twisting them in his lap. "I'm sorry, Sam..." With that, he felt like he could breathe again, and that was precisely what he did; each lungful of sea breeze felt healing in the silent moment that followed.

  
He almost didn't notice the hand sneak its way under his chin, tipping it up to meet the human's green eyes. "Hey, look at me." Sam's expression looked... soft. "Sonic...Why didn't you tell me?"

  
Sonic chose to let the mushiness ride this time, it felt like the right thing to do. "I didn't want to spoil our friendship." He answered truthfully, "Then I realized I liked you, and then stuff just went off the rails."

  
Sam's smile calmed any worries he had "It was just a dumb incident, you said it so yourself." He released Sonic's chin to hold his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I just have one question."

  
"Yeah?" He suppressed a shudder feeling fingers tickle the inside of his wrist, slowly moving up the length of his arm.  
Sam's face split into an egoistical grin. He waggled his eyebrows, suggestively, "Do I look good in uniform?"

  
Sonic snorted with laughter, "Yeah."

  
"Oh yeah?"

  
"Yeah, dude."

  
They met halfway, it took a moment to work out the right angle, but in the end, it was worth it. Sam's lips were soft and pliant against his own, Sonic's hands found themselves slipping behind the cop's neck, fingers toying with the fine hair at the nape. Not wanting to break the kiss, he fumbled blindly with his gloves, eager to feel it first-hand.  
The human hummed in approval reciprocating the gesture, a strategic caress raced along his spine, drawing a gasp from Sonic's lips. Sam lapped at his now open mouth, the kiss truing more passionate, wet and breathless. Soon they broke apart, their breathing labored from their efforts.

  
Sam pulled back, "Come here." The hand supporting his head slid gently against his neck and down his back, pulling him forward into the racer's lap. "This should be easier." The proximity was overwhelming, they were so very close Sonic could feel the rise and fall of the human's chest against his own, smell his sweat and washing detergent on his clothes.

  
He needed to get himself under control.

  
Using his expert knowledge of human mating rituals gained from watching late-night TV, Sonic went for Sam's exposed throat, scraping his teeth along the soft, delicate skin just below his ear before biting down.

  
"Ouch!" Sam's body jolted violently, almost sending the hedgehog flying out the cockpit. Sonic held on, feeling the muscles in the man's legs flex under him, along with something else. "Your teeth are sharp!" His husky chuckle made Sonic's face burn. He may have overdone it a bit.

  
"Sorry." Sonic apologized, secretly unapologetic. He boldly ran his tongue over the bite, tasting salt and copper up along the outline of Sam's ear.  
Humans had such cute ears.

  
A distinct, repressed whiny sound left the human that almost sounded like a moan making his belly flutter. Fascinated, he pulled himself closer, kissing and nipping along the other side of Sam's jaw who squirmed and groaned at each insistent touch. He hooked a thumb in the collar of the overalls, wishing the fabric in between them was gone.  
As if reading his mind, Sam undid the velcro strip around his neck, fumbling with the opening. Feeling brave, Sonic reached for the zipper.

  
"Let me." Breathing hard, Sonic pulled on the zipper, green eyes following its trail right down over the racer's heaving chest. He let his hands follow, splaying his fingers along the warm heated skin feeling hard muscles tense under the caress. Sam hummed in approval, arching into his touch.

Sonic tried not to show his surprise. "You...have nothing on underneath."

Sam shrugged, "It's my uniform. "His breathing was coming out labored, hands almost encircling the hedgehogs waist he tugged them flush together. Sonic gasped at the instant contact, head falling in the crook of Sam's bare shoulder. His hips were instinctively grinding down on the unmistakable hardness in between the human's thighs, each movement sending a jolt of pleasure up his spine.

  
Sam was still talking. "You are the one that's...ah... running around naked."

  
Pressed up like this allowed the human's hands to slide up Sonic's sensitive sides, down his spine and right back up to the nape of his neck. He moaned and trembled helplessly into Sam's shoulder as the touches concentrated on the inner junctions of his thighs. Despite the cold air, he was burning up from the inside; his brain was already short-circuiting at the overstimulation.

  
"Is this alright?" Sam purred into his ear, subtly rocking along with him now.  
Sonic had a hard time constructing the response "Yeah, its... more than alright." Pulling back just enough, he captured the human's lips in a kiss hands bunching in the loose overalls.

  
They both jumbled, startled by a sudden crackle from the police radio.

  
The com beeped and buzzed "...Come in?..."

  
Sam put his finger to his lips, indicating for Sonic to be quiet before reaching around their joined bodies to pick up the receiver.

  
"Speaking."

  
"Sam! Mad day huh? How's the test drive? We were getting worried Robotnik got you. Also, Robotnik got away."

  
"All good! Can't wait to get back on the highway!"

  
There was a shuffle on the other end "I can't wait to tell you this! We got a word from the former vice president that you and Sonic the Hedgehog rear-ended him using the S Team speed vehicle, leaving him for dead?"

Sam didn't miss a beat, "Ha! That fool would do anything for publicity! I haven't seen Sonic since the race!"  
The person on the other side laughed "I wouldn't put it past him, anyway I'm just letting you know we are closing down in an hour, if you return the vehicle I'll give you a ride home."

"Sounds great! You know, I'll be there!" He said, winking at no-one in particular, pleased with his little ruse. The receiver was put away with a ping, Sam giving Sonic an apologetic smile, "Looks like we are going to have to split."

"Cool with me!" Sonic wasn't cool with it. "I had a great time Sam. You want to hang out again?" He asked all too soon, trying to not cringe at the overt enthusiasm in his tone.  
Sam beamed at the suggestion, "You still have that card I gave you?"

  
Sonic nodded, pulling the cardboard rectangle out his glove.

"Great!" Sam snatched it from his hand, pulling a pen from the cup holder he scribbled a series of lines onto the back. "Here's my address, if you can't find me I'm probably here!" Before Sonic could grab it back, Sam cupped his hand, pushing it under the white fabric himself in one smooth motion, his touch lingered for a moment. "We have a lot of unfinished business."

It took Sonic all the willpower he had to peel himself away from the racer's body. Sam must have sensed his reluctance pulling him down for another fervid kiss, ringing with promise.

"I had a great time too." He murmured, pulling the zipper back up to his chin; Sonic followed it's movement with his eyes right up to the human's knowing smirk.  
The heat he felt on his face didn't bother him anymore. He thumped the human on the chest, getting an amused laugh in response, "Not if I see you first!" he swung over the side of the vehicle, landing on his feet. "We still got to a race arrange!"

Sam gave him a thumbs up, buckling up his helmet.  
Sonic stuck around to watch the front wing of the F1 car dig up more sand from the dunes on the way out before he set off on his way to the Thorndyke mansion.


	6. Speed pun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic pops over to Sam's for a Netflix and chill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Car fact: A spolier is the sticky-out bit at the end of an F1 car.

Sam stepped out into the busy corridor of the Station Square Hospital after getting an earful from his physician for his more-than-extreme test drive. He flexed the fingers to his brace-free hand, pulling it into a tight fist at his side, the movement feeling foreign and awkward after the long recovery. 

He couldn't say he would miss being out of the force, but he was glad to have made some fond memories from his stay. Perhaps he could visit the Thorndykes more often? Chris certainly wouldn't mind. Besides, the kid was getting a bit weird from hanging out with anthropomorphic animals all day. Now that he could drive, it was the time to step up his uncle to a funcle, maybe take him out for ice cream....or whatever it was kids like.

His musing was interrupted by a commotion. There, pacing back and forth at a radically rapid pace at the bottom of the corridor, was no one else but the ex vice-president himself. He didn't appear to notice Sam, instead preoccupied with spluttering into the cellphone he held in a death grip pushed against his ear.

"Please! I cannot afford this without the insurance! I will be out on the street!" 

Sam panicked momentarily; keeping his head down, he increased his pace in a conscious effort to avoid being spotted. Revealing himself to the ex-vice president whose life he had unnoticeably ruined was not a can of worms he wanted to open.

He dodged an oncoming trolley, breathing out in relief once he turned a corner, crisis averted. He continued on his way, passing a cracked appointment room door he caught sight of a familiar bat and government agent. Both were engaged in conversation with a baffled looking health professional.

Vice president forgotten, Sam slowed down a little to allow for better snooping. He just managed to catch a slither of the conversation. "Ma'am, such a disease could only have been born from eating bat."

Baffled, Sam was so preoccupied with the scene he had utterly neglected his bearings on the collision course into a distinctly ginormous man.

"Watch it! You gasoline addicted idiot! Did the concussion make you blind?"

He recognized that bushy mustache and tailcoat instantly. 

"Robotnik! What are you up to this time?!" Sam whipped around, trying to catch a gist of something that may have indicated Eggman's villainous endeavor. Spotting nothing of interest, he turned around, taking in the garish black tailcoat with a bowtie and puffy boutonnière to match.

What the hell was going at this hospital?

"Cool down, you air-brained dimwit!" Robotnik puffed up, straightening the lapels of his coat. "Do I look like I am here to commit a crime?"

Sam scoffed, "Yeah, a crime against fashion." 

"I am waiting for a date!" The taller man growled, meaty fists shaking in barely contained rage. 

Sam refused to be intimidated; pulling out his headset, he pressed the instant-dial to the station. This was almost too easy. "I am afraid I cannot let you go. No matter what your intentions are, you are still a wanted criminal." He said, dropping his voice to his clipped tone of an on-duty officer. "You've cracked yourself into the pan with this one, Eggman."

Robotnik chuckled darkly, arms crossing over his chest, looking too confident for a convicted criminal. "I wouldn't try anything like that if I were you." He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper, "Not if you don't want everyone in this decrepit city finding out about your disgusting perversions for the blue rodent." 

The tables turned so fast Sam felt dizzy with the impromptu revelation. The unfortunate memory of Sonic mentioning something about the S2 robots getting weirdly flirty came flooding back to him in a rush of panic. 

"You wouldn't dare." Suddenly, he was the one clenching his newly reformed fist at the evil genius. Imagining the smug smirk pulverized with a well-aimed uppercut calmed him a little, but not enough to prepare for the returned onslaught. 

"Oh yes, I would, my dear troglodytic friend." Robotnik hissed. "Your career would crumble! What would sweet little Chris say when he finds out his uncle is a sick freak?"

Recognizing that Eggman was correct, Sam looked down at the phone in his hand and pressed the red receiver, canceling the call. Robotnik cackled, resting his palm heavily on Sam's shoulder. "That's a good boy."

Sam slapped it away. "What do you want?"

"Simply to enjoy my date without you and your team of clowns ruining it," Robotnik said twiddling his mustache, he leered into Sam's personal space. "I get to have my cake, and you get to have your...weird interspecies sex. It's a win-win."

"That's not a good joke."

"I have a doctorate, it doesn't need to be good." Robotnik bit back, adjusting his bowtie, he nodded deliberately at someone over Sam's shoulder. "Looks like the time to date is nigh, if you don't mind, I propose you leave and get back to your little blue boyfriend and idiot friends before I change my mind."

Ears burning, Sam turned and stiffly headed for the main entrance. Only once he was out in the parking lot did he allow himself to decompress. Sagging against the side of his car, he took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart. 

Robotnik could have his stupid date. 

Distantly, he wondered what Sonic's take on the whole situation would be, but ultimately resolved not to mention it. He hadn't seen much of the blue hedgehog in the past few days. Sam was too busy with his job for anything but his burning drive to compete to divide up the time.

He would have checked up on the Thorndyke mansion, but those damn speedsters have been coming out the woodwork recently, keeping him and the S Team on their feet. It was probably to do with Freedom day approaching; by then, he will be up to his ears in arrest reports on idiots with cars.

He exhaled the rest of the anxiety and got into the driver's seat, starting up the engine. At least he didn't have to go back to this hell-hole of a reference-infested hospital. Sam centered himself, he still had his full weekend of free time to enjoy, and he was going to make the most of it.

-

The sun was just setting when Sam was closing down his garage. He hummed to himself, admiring his service car's freshly dent-free spoiler, looking brand new after their little incident.

"Hey Sam, how's it going?" He flinched, startled once again by a familiar voice. Sam turned around to see his spiky blue rival leaning all cool and casual on the door frame.

"What's up, my blue compadre?" He greeted, wiping the grease off his hands with a tattered rag "Did you come here for another race?" He threw the cloth in the corner, turning to the tools littering the floor of the workshop.

"No, not really," Sonic mumbled, watching as Sam meticulously put each tool in its rightful place on the tool rack. That answer was not very Sonic-like of Sonic, catching the racers full attention.

"Oh?" He fought not to sound too hopeful. The only piece of morality he had left in this situation was his personal promise to himself, made by himself that he would not be the one to instigate this.

Both he and Sonic were toeing a particular line here, and unquestioningly it would be fair to give him a head start.

Sam was an impatient man but limited himself to not push any further. He pretended to be occupied with re-arranging his spanners from smallest to largest, the clattering of metal on metal braking up the tense silence. He took his time, purposely giving the hedgehog some space to think.

Eventually, Sonic spoke, "I thought we could spend some time together..." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the hedgehog was no longer looking at him, instead his gaze was fixated on Sam's working hands. "Like last time."

Sam couldn't help himself. "At least take me to dinner first!" He laughed. This was a bad idea as the greasy cloth he used earlier made abrupt contact with his face.   
"Hey! I am the one trying to be serious here!" Sonic scolded, removing the cloth he found the hedgehog eye-level with his arms crossed atop the hood of his car, glaring. Damn, he moved fast.

This was probably messing up the brand new government-grant funded wax coat he lovingly applied earlier. "Okay! I'm sorry!" Still chuckling, he brought his hands up in a gesture of mock surrender. "But seriously, I would like to talk a little first, I mean..." He scratched the back of his head as Sonic's ears flicked in his direction. "I have some burning questions."

One of Sonic's ears swiveled in his direction, Sam took it as a sign of interest. "Shoot"

He spoke carefully, testing out the waters. "How is it possible for you to like me?" Grabbing a remote out his pocket, he set the garage door to close with a mechanical whine, enveloping them in darkness. Feeling for the handle of the door leading into the house, he continued talking, opening the door with a click. "I know I am God's gift to the world, but we are like... a completely different species." 

Framed in the rectangle of light coming through the door, Sonic scratched his chin, seemingly pondering the question. "I could say the same to you."

Sam was no hedgehog whisperer, and although being curt, the reply felt sincere enough. He had sort of hoped that Sonic would have an explanation to all this, like some sort of alien biological law or...magic, had compelled them to end up in this predicament. Taking comfort in their shared confusion, he decided to leave it at that. 

"Fair." He stood to the side, letting Sonic through the entrance. "you want to watch a movie?"

Sonic's ears perked up at the suggestion. "Heck yeah!" 

-

Sonic hadn't stayed in many human houses since his arrival. This one did not seem to differ a lot from the Thorndyke mansion, albeit it was a lot smaller (and a whole lot messier). The interior was airy and covered entirely in motorsport memorabilia, most of which caught his interest. In all honesty, when Sonic first met him, he assumed Sam slept in the S team garage.

He followed the ginger through to the kitchen. There, Sam proceeded to display his impressive lack of cooking skills by burning three bags of microwave popcorn in the space of roughly fifteen minutes. 

Even when doing something badly, the man was a show-off to the highest degree. It was like a culinary show gone wrong; Sonic watched in amused amazement as the fourth bag was transformed into a wad of black corn. Sam presented it to him with mock flourish.

"Is this to your liking Sir Hedgehog?" Sam slid the bowl across to where he was currently perched on a tall stool, sipping from a juice box that was, thankfully, not home-made. 

Sonic tried to be respectful. He really did. "You gotta give in at some point, Sam" He waved the smoke out of his face. "People are going to think your house is on fire." 

"Because I'm so hot?"

"Because you are a culinary criminal."

"Thank god I'm above the law!" Sam laughed, throwing the popcorn-brick in the bin, "But I have to agree with you there, buddy, I am not exactly a master cook!" He pulled out his mobile phone, "I'll order us something." 

Food successfully ordered, they headed to the much more lived-in living room. There Sam flopped on the couch, patting the spot next to him with an air of calm confidence, indicating for Sonic to take a seat.

He hesitated momentarily before settling down, leaning back awkwardly. He could almost sense the heat of the man next to him, feeling the weight of him on the cushions shift as he grabbed the remote.

Could he touch him? Would that be alright? Or just plain weird? His stomach twisted in glee, recalling how the proud man's cool control melted away right before his eyes. He felt the ghost of Sam's skin, hot and organic under his fingers, as the human buckled and groaned beneath him.

It wasn't just that, it was the warmth and the closeness he needed as badly as his own uncompromised freedom (world governments be damned). Just the touch of Sam's hand on his had been too much to handle. Sonic wasn't sure if this was due to the smoke inhalation, but he desperately, wholeheartedly yarned for Sam's touch again. 

Too many thoughts. Not enough action. Sonic needed to do something.

Fiddling with his hands, he was so wrapped up in divulging on how to breach the physical gap between them that he almost missed Sam's question.

"What do you want to watch?" 

The words were faster than his brain, splurging out his mouth before he could stop them. "Being close to you." 

"Huh?" Sam responded eloquently.

Sonic winced at his own idiocy. There was no way of recovering from that, so he let it ride. "You asked me earlier what I like about you." Sonic stopped, searching for the right words, "I don't know why but... I like being close to you. Like, physically, I mean, it's weird, but I sort of just...like it." 

As soon as he spoke, Sam's heavy arm wrapped around him, pulling him in snug against the human's side in one sure movement. He tensed involuntarily, before giving in to his base urges. He burrowed his face into the garish sweatshirt like a drowning man (or hedgehog?).

"Like this?" Sam's words rumbled pleasantly through him. 

Sonic was not expecting this development and honestly assumed to be rejected. But this change of pace was...nice. 

He simply nodded, he closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of washing detergent and burnt corn. The rhythmic thump of Sam's heart calmed Sonic's racing one, giving him the courage to sneak his arms around the human's torso, pressing himself closer. 

Sam leaned into him, his large palm gently stroked his back. "By the way, it's not weird, everyone needs it. I am not too sure about hedgehogs through, you might be a complete freak of nature."

Sonic pulled away just enough to fix the ginger with a glare. "Oh yeah? What do you know?"

"I know you can't drink milk." The hand on his back flicked one of his ears in a teasing gesture. That answered a lot of questions, but before Sonic could inquire further, Sam carried on, "Seriously through our awesome competition aside, you can cuddle me anytime." His voice was so casual that for one flowery moment, Sonic almost believed in the normalcy of 'cuddling.'

He shook himself of the feeling, groaning in embarrassment. "Please don't call it that."

"Aww, are you embarrassed?" Sam laughed, jostling both of them as a result. "Can you get any cuter?" 

"I am not cute!" 

There was a knock at the door, signaling the arrival of their food. Sam dislodged himself from Sonic's grasp. "Well, It looks like fate has decided to spare you life..." He said, imitating Robotnik's voice, badly "...this time." He handed Sonic the remote. "Take your pick." And left him alone on the couch.

Sonic sat there in a sort of stunned silence for a moment, trying to pace together what just happened. 

He had never been the one to be explicitly affectionate. It made him feel somewhat off at best, and humiliated at worst. 

This hadn't really been any of those things. Sure, Sam's relentless teasing had made him wonder if one could die from embarrassment. Still, it didn't feel mean-spirited, neither did the way he held him earlier. It was just sort of...casual, as if Sam sat on that couch and professionally dished out hugs all day, every day with the same speed and single-minded passion as he did in his real job. 

Sonic decided he liked it. He pocketed the thought as Sam re-entered the living room. "Still haven't picked anything? You really are losing your edge, dude."

Sonic rolled his eyes "It's not that easy! There are literally thousands of these things!" He quickly flipped through the selection, picking a title he assumed would appeal to both of them. 

His choice appeared to have gone down well; the film seemed to consist of little plot and a lot of high-speed car chases, all set in a colorful neon-lit city. Trash-talking it proved to be rather fun. 

"That is NOT how a race should go!" Sam complained during a featured race, "The constant drifting is keeping them from achieving their highest speed!"

"Oh, really? A real race needs turns, everyone knows that" Sonic interjected, quirking his head right back so he could look the racer in the eye. "That's what makes it fun." He sighed, relaxing a little more as Sam's fingers smoothed over his head repeatedly, he appeared to be doing it unintentionally.

Sam laughed, "I happen to know that the opponent makes the race." he was no longer watching the screen; instead, his green eyes were entirely focused on him. "What fun is there if there is no challenge?"

Sonic felt his face flush at the attention. "I uh..." he stammered as Sam's hand scratched a sensitive spot behind his ear. "Am I a formidable opponent?"

He had seen enough late-night films to know where this was going. This, however, did not stop him from shivering in anticipation as Sam's fingers moved lower, mindful of his quills.

"Hmm... You sure can outrun me." Sam's hand brushed down the nape of his neck, no longer teasing, Sonic shuddered in response, "But I am not too sure you can outlast me." The apparent implication hung heavy in the air between them.

Sonic jumped on the challenge. "Oh yeah?" His hand slid under the hem Sam's top, smoothing over his side, the human giggled in response. He had not yet gotten used to the smooth, fleshy feel of human skin. He did, however, like how sensitive it was. "That sounds like a challenge." 

Sam leaned down, pressing their lips together briefly. "I think it is." Standing up abruptly, he took Sonic's hand in his "Come on, I uh...actually have a bed."

"A real bed? You are such a gentleman."

He was lead through the now dark interior into what he assumed was the bedroom. It was an absolute mess with clothes and empty energy drink cans scattered throughout the place.

The bed looked clean enough.

Sonic didn't miss a beat, clambering on top of Sam as soon as his ass touched the bed. He went in for the straight and narrow, capturing the ginger's lips in a deep, needy kiss, coaxing out a soft moan. Sonic's ears quirked at the sound, hearing it for the first time. It would be good to hear more.

Sam moved back, "You know I'm going easy on you here, right?"

Sonic wasn't falling for that. "That is your miscalculation for underestimating your opponent" Smirking, he fumbled with Sam's shirt pulling it over his head, backing both of them up into the headboard. "Especially if you're racing against me." Here, he could carelessly rest his full weight on Sam's clothed crotch, making sure to grind down with calculated purpose. 

Sam hissed in response, biting down on his lower lip in a possible attempt to stifle any more noise. "Again, this isn't racing. But I gotta say you're off to good start." He purred, hands automatically cupping Sonic's backside, pushing them closer and garnering more friction. 

Sonic leaned in with the momentum, shoving his muzzle into the delicate junction between the red hairline and his shoulder. Sam's hand gently pushed at the back of his head in encouragement. He leaned further in and licked a previously known vulnerable spot behind Sam's ear, eagerly drinking in the stifled moan that followed. 

The faded bite mark was still there. The uneven skin beneath his tongue reminded him of Sam's visceral reaction to the rough treatment. Idly, Sonic mouthed along the column of the ginger's throat, before sinking his teeth into an unscathed spot just below his jawline.

As predicted, the human whined, bucking violently, "There you go biting me again! Do you know how unfair that is?" Sam complained, but didn't make a move to stop the hedgehog from biting and nuzzling further down to the hollow of his collarbone. "I...I count that as foul play!"

Sonic laughed, recognizing the poorly veiled distraction for what it was, "I thought you were going easy on me!" He still allowed Sam's hands to trail up his chest, tensing to keep himself from shuddering. Instead, he distracted himself by appreciating Sam's attempt at trying to sound serious. "Are you ready to get serious with me now, Sam?"

Sam's eyes flicked up to meet his for a brief moment, giving him a look Sonic was more used to seeing through the helmet's visor during a race. "I was ready before I was born!"   
  
"Well, you better watch out because I'm going to mow your ass like gra-" Sonic gasped and shuddered as a tentative touch traced on the inside of his thigh, before firmly squeezing the flesh. 

Sam cleared his throat awkwardly. "So uh, we should have probably discussed this earlier, but...how do you work?"

Whether Sonic had considered their biological differences before, he was definitely considering them now. He sat back on his haunches, his brain scrambled for a solution to just how he should approach this. "Its sort of like..." Maybe the best way was to show, not tell. "Here, just watch."

Making sure the other was watching, he lowered his hand between his legs, guiding Sam's hand over his crotch, applying pressure. Sam stared, transfixed, eyes wide, before seemingly getting a hold of himself. "Like this?"   
Palm-up, his hand caressed and rubbed directly over his emerging shaft, pushing it out the rest of the way. Sonic bit back a whine at the unique feeling, not wanting to expose himself any more than he had already.

"You doing good there?" Sam all but whispered, flush now expanding over his chest. His hand hovered over Sonic's prick, as if not sure whether to touch him or not. 

"No," Sonic answered with a satirical pause, only to chuckle breathlessly at the ginger's shocked expression. "You are trying to enforce about game rules, but, as far as I know, these qualify as clothes?" He tugged on the waistband of Sam's garish white trousers before motioning towards himself. "Does it look like I am wearing anything? What kind of hypocrite are you?" 

Sam slapped him on the arm, playfully "Don't scare me like that!" he waited for Sonic to get off him before sliding off the bed. 

Laughing, Sonic turned to watch the man awkwardly shimmying out of the remnants of his clothes. Honestly, he preferred the overalls. He had seen humans naked before, but never in such a...secluded setting. Sonic didn't know if he was aroused or confused, but couldn't refrain from openly taking in the man's lean physique, eyes trailing down to his jutting erection. It was a lot larger than his own, swollen and shiny at the darkly-flushed tip.

Sam straightened and squared his shoulders, openly preening under his gaze. "Like what you see?"

Cocky bastard. 

"Shut up Sam."

This time he was pulled further up to straddle the human's chest with the tip his cock just about brushing the smirking lips. Confidently, Sam licked a hot strip up the underside of his shaft, his hands kept the hedgehog's stuttering hips steady.

Sonic sighed at the touch as a deft tongue traced the tip. The moment of calm did not last long as he was abruptly tugged forward with a startled yelp, muscles in his abdomen tightening in pleasure. Overwhelmed by the sudden hot wet sensation, he scrambled at the headboard for purchase. 

Sam hummed around him, placing a hand on Sonic's hip he rocked him back and forth, effectively letting the hedgehog fuck his mouth. His other hand slipped further back to press at his entrance. Sonic pushed back, chasing the stimulation before the hand drew back, giving his cheek a light slap. 

"Hey!"

So, even with a mouthful of cock, Sam managed to be a nuisance. Sonic rocked forward a little harder for the sake of revenge, thrusting into the soft, squelchy back of his throat. A sweet choking noise followed by a muffled, yet still insolent giggle was the only indicator of Sam being taken off-guard.

The hand came back wet this time, and he had no idea when or how Sam had acquired the lube; it wasn't like anything the man did made any sense. He made an involuntary noise when the first digit slipped in, then another as Sam's tongue flicked hard against the head of his prick.  
He bit his tongue and tried not to let on the effect this was having on him, pray the man get too smug.

This was proven futile, however, as soon as he relaxed, no time was wasted for another. The human's fingers were so much thicker than his own, Sonic tried to not think about how the comparatively massive cock would feel buried deep inside his ass, the image him throb with want. Sam twisted both digits to push and wander until they pressed down in a place that made his entire body tense and jump.

"Sam!" He all but shouted, gripping a fistful of ginger hair. Sam groaned around him the momentum from his fingers now the only thing jerking him back and forth, driving him wild.  
He held on to the headboard harder now trapped in between the sweet stimulation of Sam's mouth and his long probing fingers moving within him. This was all too much;  
"Sam!" He said more urgently.

This time the man put on the breaks, pulling his mouth off Sonic's dick with a lewd pop, wearing the same albeit more lecherous smile from before.  
"What's wrong?" He taunted, the effect was mildly spoiled by the string of spit and cum connecting his lips to the tip of Sonic's cock "Too much heat for a little hedgehog?"

Sonic laughed breathlessly, "You wish!" He looked back at Sam's thick arousal, laying swollen and untouched against his flat stomach. "It's time to steer this inside of me....officer."

The ginger stared at him, dumbly. "Oh, I didn't think it would be possible."

"But we are not in a car anymore, Sam!"

"No, I mean..." Sam's smile turned a cocky. "Do you think you can take me?" He emphasized the point by stroking the full length of his cock. Sonic's eyes followed the up and down movement. He swallowed, throat suddenly dry. "This dipstick could be too big for you to handle." He laughed at his own awful joke.

Raising himself up over the racer's lap, Sonic trailed a finger over the inviting curve of the shaft, "I think you are scared of losing." 

"No way!" Sam protested before adding in a careful voice, "For serious will it like, y' know...fit?"

Sonic snorted, "Yes! Trust me." His hand joined Sam's, giving his throbbing prick a light squeeze shutting him up momentarily. "It will make it fair, won't it? Sam?"

Sam grinned, propping himself up on his elbows. "It's going to be your downfall, but I can't argue with that." 

They shared a sloppy kiss, Sonic tasting himself on the human's tongue before breaking apart. He lined up the head with his entrance feeling warm hands encircle his waist entirely, Sonic loved that.

"There, Take it slow," Sam said softly, a contrast to his heaving chest and stuttering hips, keeping him steady in his descent.

This felt a lot more substantial than Sam's fingers. He was covertly glad of the added guidance as he slowly took him in inch by searing inch.

"You are doing so well." The praise made his own cock twitch. The human was practically vibrating under him thumbs tracing circles over his hips. His hazy eyes were undecidedly flickering in between his face and their joined bodies. His teeth pressed down into his lower lip, obviously trying to hold back.

They finally settled with a groan. The fullness was bringing on another need for friction, which Sonic had the bold need to satisfy. Experimentally he rocked his hips, gently at first but soon increasing speed. Sam was big enough to fill him out completely, as each stroke hit the exact spot that made his legs tremble with ineffable sensation.

Sonic realized he had closed his eyes, opening them back up he found Sam grinning up at him. "This fair enough for you?" The human's hips snapped upwards to meet him halfway, his vision swam, forcing out full, unintended moan. The competition was heating up.

"Yeah," Was all Sonic could muster in response; instead, he sped up his movements by a marginal amount, trying to push the man over the edge. It seemed to be working; the hands on his hips tightened, there was a slight tremble with each upward thrust. 

"You too tight," Sam groaned, "...too tight." One of his hands let go of Sonic's hip to sneakily palm at his cock.

He battered it away, bearing down harder. He gritted his teeth, the little amount of stimulation had almost been his undoing. Sonic focused on pushing back against the other's movements. Both of them shuddered, sweaty and overstimulated, now going head to head on the last lap of the race.

"Now, look who is not keeping up?" Sonic taunted, practically bouncing with the human's upward thrusts. He knew this was not a good idea, especially with victory in reach, but couldn't help himself. "Looks like you might be the one to come last." His hands moved up the man's chest, squeezing and pinching where he could reach. "Like always."

This appeared to have the opposite effect as Sam suddenly froze, panting up at him with a drunken, crooked smile.

His voice was hoarse, "Now, you are going to get it." Sonic's hips were gripped hard and lifted effortlessly, forcing the cock inside his to slip out. Before he could complain he was flipped over backward, he bounced on the bed giggling as Sam loomed over him bottle now in hand.

"This may have been an uphill start," He said, making a show of slathering more lube onto his cock before lining himself up. He winked at him, grinning in his (alleged) impending victory. "But now it's all downhill from here."

Rocking forward, Sam pushed Sonic's thighs up and apart, which resulted in him sliding in impossibly deeper. They both moaned unashamedly, momentarily forgetting their little competition.

In this position, his face hovered just above Sonic's, allowing him to take in the man's blown pupils and swollen lips, there was a slight sheen of sweat along his hairline.

Sonic was struck with the real intimacy of the situation. And how close, so so very close they were at the moment. Sonic reached out to run his fingers through the damp strands only for his wrists to be caught and pressed up above his head, rendering him immobile. 

Above him, the ginger grinned like an idiot with clear gleeful intent in his eyes.

"Nuh-uh!" A lubed-up finger was waggled in Sonic's face, "thinking that you can soften me up, huh?" he teased. "No cuddling until the end of the ride!" To emphasize the point, Sam snapped his hips forward once and then again changing to a much faster pace.

"No fai-!" Sonic's retaliation was cut short by another well-aimed thrust resulting in his back arching entirely of the bed.

The sound of their bodies connecting now seemed muffled as he focused on the little strained sounds Sam was making (and trying to stifle). Smugly, he was glad he wasn't the only one losing it. 

He was not, however, just going to be the one to lose it first, "Sam! That is cheating!" He complained only to be answered with laughter. Fucking him thoroughly, the human leaned forward even further, letting his larger body weight pin Sonic completely to the mattress .

All Sonic could do was keen and moan helplessly as he was filled up again and again, effectively incapacitated by Sam's bulk. Each thrust caused him to writhe in the human's solid grasp. The added friction reminded him of his leaking prick, untouched, trapped between them. "You...are...using...other means.." 

"Am I?" A solid shove of his hips punctuated the statement. One of the human's hands trailed down his front, stopping just above where he lacked it most. "Is slowing you down a bit really such a drag?"

Mercifully, Sonic's arms were released, and before Sam could say something dumber, he was pulled down for a kiss. His resulting groan was more felt than heard. Sonic was more preoccupied with the human's hot sleek hand, finally closing around him, yielding sweet friction. 

He sobbed in relief as Sam stroked him in time with his thrusts, his stomach muscles tightened with the new stimulation. The need was overwhelming, distantly, he realized how desperately he needed to come. Thighs clutching the racer's hips like his life depended on it Sonic tried to speak out, but all that came out was compete garbled mess.

Sam seemed to understand and leaned in closer, his eyes fixated on Sonic's face with a renewed intensity. "It's okay." he gasped, his hold tightening, the pressure now unbearable. "I've got you."

All it took was a few strokes to send him straight over the finishing line, he rode each brain-numbing pulse with Sam's name on his lips.

A low husky chuckle escaped Sam, who was still moving, his crooked smile partially illuminated in the street lights outside. "It seems like you came a little faster than me there, bud!" He panted, hair now wet with sweat as he rocked his hips forward, making Sonic whimper and tremble uncontrollably with the leaden aftershocks of his orgasm.

He chose to remain silent, forcing his eyes to stay open, watching Sam come apart because of him.

"And even though you finished first..." his breath felt hot and urgent on Sonic's ear "in this situation..ah..." His voice stuttered as he gave several long, hard, drawn-out thrusts as he came with a low moan. Each and every single wet drag of his throbbing cock lasting an eternity and simultaneously ending too soon. "…Winners finish last." he gasped finally, smiling down at the dazed Sonic, still twitching between his trembling arms.

They stayed still for a few more moments. Sam moved to pull out, both groaned at the loss of contact before Sonic tenderly tugged on Sam's arm, which in turn rummaged under his bed for an old shirt to clean them off with.

To his delight, the ginger settled down beside him. "We need a shower." He stated simply, dotingly wiping off the worst of the mess out of the hedgehog's fur. Sonic's eyes instantly shot open, he grinned Sam, already entertaining the idea of a rematch. "Sounds cool! Race you there!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I don't know what this became in the end, but I guess it is...something. If you managed to read it this far, I am in awe at your resilience. I hope you had fun reading! 
> 
> Originally, this thing was supposed to be a single chapter shitfest full of racing puns but it sort of grew and expanded until it developed a half-baked semblance of a plot. But I think it turned out better, and more painful to read than it's deformed predecessor.


End file.
